WHAT
Filipino artist, Rodel Tapaya (b.1980), is known for his large-scale paintings with bright colours and layered symbolism on canvas. His works often combine traditional Filipino mythology, folklore, traditional storytelling with contemporary social issues, which depict complex narratives inspired by his cultural heritage and personal experiences. On the other hand, Berlin-based Oska Gutheil (b.1980) questions social norms within society and probes into what we call reality. Although the artworks focus on serious topics such as gender, gender norms and existing uniformities in our society, he layers them with absurd fairytale elements. His figurative paintings are stylised, colourful compositions where narrative comic aesthetics and expressive lines meet, evoking a sense of movement and energy.

WHY
The exhibition takes inspiration from Charles Dickens’s ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, marking the first collaboration between a Filipino and a German artist. Together, they have crafted a unique blend of cultural aesthetics that appeals to audiences from diverse backgrounds and nationalities. This visual journey is an exploration of the intersection between cultures and artistic expression, serving to emphasise how different contexts can converge in a seamless dialogue. Step into the immersive environment of the exhibition and experience a world where the boundaries between the self and the world, between the conscious and the unconscious, and between reality and fantasy become indistinguishable.