Artist Statement
“Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by form, colors, cartoon characters and my nightmares. I discovered that if I wrote everything down, I could express my innermost thoughts and feelings. Over time, those writings turned into drawings. What I cannot express in words I express through my art. Incorporating a mixture of pop icons, advertisements, cartoons and psychological expressions, I navigate society and my place in it. I am inspired by artists like Magritte, Beksiński, Kiefer, Condo, Kandinsky and Warhol. I am an artist because it is my form of expression and I believe art will lead and change the world.”
About Abraham
Abraham is a Filipino-American artist, painter and designer currently based in Chicago. He studied at University of the East in Manila, Philippines with degrees in Advertising/Design/Illustration and Fine Arts. After migrating to the US in 1979, he attended the American Academy of Arts. While in Chicago, he freelanced as an artist and illustrator, working with some of Chicago’s top ad agencies. Armed with a double major and a unique wit, Abraham uses an alternative point of view to re-imagine ideals and adds his own brand of social commentary by re-contextualizing graphic icons. He works primarily in acrylic, watercolor and ink, often combining mediums. As a pop/expressionist/surrealist artist, his work is informed by the cartoon imagery of his youth, and he counts among his influences many of the pop artists of the 1960’s. He has been actively showing his work in Chicago since 2014 at galleries including Ultra Gallery, Nych Gallery, Zhou B Art Center, Elephant Room Gallery, Epiphany Center for the Arts and Agitator Gallery. He recently exhibited in Los Angeles, CA at La Luz de Jesus Gallery and is currently represented by Elephant Room Gallery in Chicago.
