As I read Edward Shanken's Art and Electronic Media, I noticed a Filipino artists by the name of David Medalla on page 20. I was very intrigue to learn more about him because there are not that many famous and culture-fulfilling Filipino icons that I know of. Filipinos are celebrity gossip addicts and most of their celebrities are mixed-raced Filipinos. I cannot relate to this media trend and find it an insult to non-mixed Filipinos that are misrepresented in the media. When people name famous Filipinos, whether they are Filipino themselves (including myself) or not, they can usually name two: Jose Rizal, a freedom fighter who help the Philippines gain its independence, and Manny Pacquiao, the champion boxer. It is refreshing that I can add David Medalla to this list.
According to several websites, including Wikipedia, David Medalla, attend Columbia University (a very prestigious university) at the age of 12 (a very young age). That alone is impressive. He is a multimedia and conceptional artists, using, to name a few mediums, bio kinetic sculpture, metal installation, and oil paintings. He has rub elbows with the likes of Mark Van Doren and Marcel Duchamp. He has founded many galleries like Signals Galleries, which presented international kinetic art, and has influence and collaborated with other multi media artists in Exploding Galaxy which he help initiate and was a huge factor in the London hippie movement. He also has lectured in many world renowned universities to spread his art knowledge. It's amazing that he has accomplished so much and influence kinetic art but is not well known to many Filipinos (or maybe it is just me). Either way, I want to say thanks and pay respects to a new iconic Filipino figure that can be added to the short list of famous Filipinos.
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