MANILA, Philippines - It’s logical to be weary of what kids produce these days. With Tyler Shields photos having LiLo put a bloodied knife to her neck and be considered provocative, with Tumblr dashboards flooded with memes and hipster anecdotes and gifs — stumbling into something affective and meaningful could feel like discovering a shipwreck. Unless you know who to look for. Whether they’re preserving a medium like film, applying a journalistic eye to photography, or creating something that is wearable, here are a few people who have made public art in the age of the Internet, and have succeeded in making it relevant and accessible to us. They prove that there are different ways and means of saying something — with focus and a narrative to accompany it. Because for all the stories being told, theirs are some that are worth seeing.
An and En Estrada, collectively Your Evil Twin, is a duo known for their film photos and Polaroids that are mostly relegated to their blog (youreviltwindiary.tumblr.com) or shown in a couple of exhibits, recently, another one of their photos landed on a Topman shirt just like last year. Joseph Pascual, while digitally inclined professionally, has an old-school way approach to photos, giving portraits a natural and somber yet spirited quality to them. Paul Jatayna, designer and owner of OS Accessories, has put the lovely in lovely bones, turning semblances of fossils into intricate neckpieces, rings and bracelets. Samantha Lee, whose film Agos got nominated this year for an Urian Award, is also slated to show at Hawaii’s Kona Surf Film Festival. Carina Santos is an artist in every sense of the word. She’s a web and graphic designer, but her specialty lies in creating mixed media art, for which she’s had two exhibits this year. And Pauline Prieto, well — she’s the artist’s muse. When she isn’t doing commercial or editorial work, she lends her sass and serves face to several burgeoning streetwear brands like Proudrace or playing mannequin to artists like Leeroy New.
So don’t worry. The kids are alright.