An art extravaganza commenced on Saturday, Sept. 16, with the 10th Guam Art eXhibit (GAX) show and street festival. GAX partnered with Pow!Wow!, a global network of artists, to celebrate and sweeten the local art scene.
The Tumon street festival was filled with food, live music and live painting. Later, the art gallery showcase opened on the second floor of The Plaza. The gallery will be open until Oct. 8.
According to Josh Agerstrand, director of GAX, majority of the GAX artists are UOG students and alumni.
“Art students are happy to have opportunities to have a place to practice their artwork and be visible in the community,” Agerstrand said.
In addition to the exhibit, both local and Pow!Wow! artists are painting murals all around the island.
UOG alumnus dedicates mural to Guam
Austin Domingo, local artist and UOG alumnus, said Guam served as the inspiration for his design.
“My design will be an illustration of a carabao portrait but will be decorated with Guam-centric patterns and elements such as leaves, latte stone, weaving patterns and more,” Domingo said. “I love representing the island so I chose an iconic animal that is important to the island. The carabao is a symbol of hard work which I think relates to this year’s GAX event.”
Domingo commented on the thriving art scene.
“Throughout the years, the contemporary art scene has grown because of the continuous efforts of encouraging new artists to showcase their talents. GAX has been the cornerstone behind the movement. The appreciation for the arts on island has increased and it’s exciting to see more and more local artists coming up.”
Domingo graduated from UOG in Spring 2012 with a BA in Fine Arts – Art.
Local artists meld culture and lifestyle
Local artists from Opake, Ed “Lerk” Gaza, Rome Daco, Shaun Juan and Tim De Leon Guerrero, revealed plans for their mural.
“For our design, we are covering the wall in a blue teal background, dressed with Opake’s signature floral pattern that Rome designed. We will be constructing an original script font of the word ‘Hafa Adai’,” according to De Leon Guerrero.
De Leon Guerrero adds that the design is inspired by the group’s urban culture and island lifestyle.
“You can see our love for the beauty of the islands with the floral patterns and the teal background, then you see the graffiti influence with the style of typography the ‘Hafa Adai’ will be. The design brings together the island life and urban culture that us four artists have grown to love.”