Finally had the opportunity to meet and interview a dude I’ve been following on IG for a while. I like his style as we have similar influences and backgrounds in destruction of private property 🙂

Emerging from Manila, Archie Geotina also known as Chichimonster, is a multi-disciplinary artist with roots heavily seeded in the street and graffiti culture of the Philippines. Archie’s influence is not “street” in the traditional sense—it is the culmination of growing up in a raw setting filled with colonial influence, extreme social disparity, and religious undertones. It is the vibration of the developing world, with rich insight on how new political power operates in this modern world. His art depicts the irony and the truth of being in an environment that nurtures luxury and poverty at the same time. He co-founded the graffiti crew Katipunan Street Plan (KST) in 2006, which marked the beginning of his evolution from the traditional graffiti to creating his own unique style. Combined with a stream of consciousness process that taps into the countries historical references, he bases his graffiti lettering on the lost Philippine alphabet, the Alibata. His style is also inspired by the multitude of local cultures within the Philippine islands. From murals to portraits, Archie mixes different materials of acrylic paint, spray paint, ink, resin, and wheat paste to create his pieces. He has also used fire extinguishers in his mixed media pieces. His art has led him to work in Manila, Baguio, Cebu, Bacolod, Los Angeles, and New York.

In my 1 hour interview with him for my documentary, Sulat ng Malansang Isda, we talked about everything from art, business, old vs new and of course Baybayin. Lookout for a future event with Philippines based Baybayin artists. If you’re in Manila, check out his upcoming solo show April 16 at A Space Gallery in Makati.