Art Seminar Portfolio
Spring 2020 Angelyn Labadan
Artist Statement At first, I thought that I wanted my art to make people happy because the art I saw and books I read did one thing for me: they made me happy and I wanted to do the same for other people. Similarly, I wanted to show my work and believe it would somehow make people happy. But over time, I realized that my goal as an artist became less about “making people happy” and instead about people experiencing my work and then taking something away from it, that something being along the lines of inspiration, motivation, and appreciation for creation. I was always an avid illustrator, making illustrations one after another. My illustrations piled up, and I didn’t know what to do with them. That is, until I started to make artist books. Making illustrations then compiling them into artists books allowed my works to become comprehensive works that told stories and something that people can dive into, to think about and experience. Although some illustrations don’t end up in artist books, they often become a series of illustrations that work together to tell a story. While I do not define the type of experience the viewer may have (for example, “happy”) with my stories, I believe my artwork allows room for the appreciation of creation which can lead to an inspiration and/or motivation for the viewer to do the same: to create.
Biography Angelyn Labadan, more commonly known as Angie, is an illustrator and multimedia artist based in Tokyo, Japan. She was born and raised in Saipan and, from a young age, had an interest in the arts. During her high school years, Angie self-taught observational drawing and stretched her interests in visual arts. Angie was in charge of photography and production for her high school yearbook while working part-time as a graphic designer. Upon entering college, she discovered Saipan’s “artistic depression”, a severe lack of art education and art community, which fueled Angie to study arts seriously upon being admitted to Temple University Japan (TUJ) as a Fine Arts Major. Since transferring to TUJ, Angie has further developed her technical skills in the arts as well as her knowledge of art history and art theory. She has served as an assistant for organizing exhibitions, including Meditation, TUJ’s alumni exhibition, and DoDEA Pacific Far East Creative Expressions. Meanwhile, Angie struggled to find a voice for her artwork. However, this changed when she visited Japan’s art island: Naoshima. Here, she learned that the revitalization of the island was due to art tourism, a concept that could be applied to Saipan in the future. This realization in Naoshima inspired her to combine her art and interest in social activism, which unveiled the voice she was looking for. Angie sees her artistic activities as a way to tell stories, inspire and encourage others to tell them as well, in a voice that is uniquely their own. Angie is currently exploring this in her works and hopes to continue working further.
Table of Contents
1. Illustration
2. Photography 3. Artist Book
4. Time-Based Media 5. Graphic Design
Illustration
Self 2017 Oil on Canvas 21 x 29.7 cm (8.27 x 11.7 in)
Untitled 2017 Oil on Canvas 12.7 x 12.7 cm (5 x 5 in)
Catamenia Tarot 2019 Inkjet Print A set of 6 cards, 1 booklet Each: 14.5 x 9.5 cm (5.7 x 3.7 in)
Catamenia Tarot is a yet to be completed tarot deck that focuses on the theme of menstruation and possible stigmas around menstruation. The deck features illustrations related to menstrual stigmas around the world. While meanings of the cards in the deck are derived from the original Rider Waite tarot deck, it also contains additional meanings created by the artist.The deck was used for a performative work where the artist uses the cards in a ritualistic tarot reading for the audience.
Catamenia Tarot (Details) 2019 Inkjet Print A set of 6 cards, 1 booklet Each: 14.5 x 9.5 cm (5.7 x 3.7 in)
Photography
Remnants of Light 2019 Inkjet-printed Photograph 45 x 370 cm (18 x 146 in)
A long strip of black and white photos reminiscent of a film roll. Remnants of Light is a documentation of fleeting light and the artist’s fascination with the ephemeral moments that light presents on a daily basis.
Remnants of Light (Details) 2019 Inkjet-printed Photograph
Remnants of Shadow 2019 Inkjet-printed Photograph 45 x 370 cm (18 x 146 in)
Remnants of Shadow is a documentation of shadows. Shadows of people and the artist are widely present through the strip and strung together to create mirrored images that may or may not have a narrative in it.
Remnants of Shadow (Details) 2019 Inkjet-printed Photograph
Artist Book
How to Make Time 2019 Inkjet-printed Artist’s Book Each (Page): 183 x 25 cm (72 x 10 in)
How to Make Time is an artist book, thought not in the form of a traditional book. It is spread out onto three strips. Two strips are filled with illustrations that correspond with a third strip that is filled with text. The third strip features short writings on where time comes from, followed by a recipe that will allow the audience to physically consume time from other objects and use as their own.
How to Make Time (Details) 2019
Stars Stars live different lengths of time, depending on how big they are. For example, the Sun, a star, lives for approximately 10 billion years. That’s a lot of time. If someone took the stars, the sun...all that time could be theirs. That time could be made into so many things. But stars, they can be made into some delicious alfredo.
EASY FETTUCCINE ALFREDO • 1 pound fettuccine pasta • 2 tablespoons butter • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 pint heavy cream • 1 cup stars (grated) • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
noodles Cook your pasta according to the directions on the package. Set it aside.
sauce 1)
In a medium pot, melt the butter and then add the minced garlic.
2)
Cook the garlic for about 1 minute the add the whipping cream. Bring this to a simmer.
3)
Add the grated stars
4)
Once the sauce thickens, add the noodles.
5)
Season with garlic pepper and salt.
Letters of Venus 2017 Laser-printed Artist’s Book Each (Page): 14.8 x 21 cm (5.8 x 8.2 in); Overall (Closed) 14.8 x 21 x 3 cm (5.8 x 8.2 x 0.11 in)
Letters of Venus is an artist book done in the graphic novel/manga style. The book is 36 pages and, A5 in size and printed in color. The concept of the book came to be after combining two things: a short story the artist had written in highschool as well as the question, “When is a letter, a letter?” A summary of the story is as follows: After receiving a mysterious letter, a young artist’s painting is brought to life, whisking her away on a magical journey of wonder, trust, and self love.
How I Met My Husband 2017 Laser-printed Artist’s Book Each (Page): 14.8 x 21 cm (5.8 x 8.2 in); Overall (Closed) 14.8 x 21 x 0.2 cm (5.8 x 8.2 x 0.07 in)
How I Met My Husband is an artist book done in the graphic novel/manga style. It is A5 in size and printed in color. The book is twelve pages long and retells the story of how world famous jvloggers Rachel and Jun met. As the book is based off the vloggers’ recollection of the memory, the artist reimagines the memory into a girl’s manga style love story, giving the audience an interpretive visual of how the two met.
tête-à-tête 2019 Inkjet-printed Artist’s Book Each (Page) 20.5 x 20.5 cm (8 x 8 in); Overall (Closed): 20.5 x 20.5 x 0.5 cm (8 x 8 x 0.2 in)
Tête-à-tête is an artist book that features the artist’s tarot cards. Tarot cards are often thought of to be a tool to see into the future. However, for the artist, the use of tarot cards is but a conversation, a tete a tete with her cards and herself. Each card was drawn at a random time and place in the day, and the project of creating this book lasted for about 3 months.
Birthday Present 2020 Laser-printed Artist’s Book Each (Page): 14.8 x 21 cm (5.8 x 8.2 in); Overall (Closed) 14.8 x 21 x 0.6 cm (5.8 x 8.2 x 0.23 in)
Birthday Present is a collaborative artist book between multiple of the artist’s close colleagues and friends. The book features concept art, character design, and a detailed walkthrough of the process of creating a visual novel game.
Time-Based Media
Birthday Present (Participating Artist, Programmer) 2020 Ren’Py Visual Novel
Birthday Present is a collaborative project between multiple of the artist’s close colleagues and friends. The game was made as a present to one of the artist’s close friends It featured a simulation of real life circumstances, mixed with very possible “what if” situations, with the goal of leaving the intended player awestruck at how real, yet unreal the game is.
What is Time? 2019 Video (color) 52 seconds
What is Time? is a video that explores what time is as a subject and as an object. The video explores the concept of what time is through the use of collocations and idioms in the English language, expressing that time can be so many things without us noticing how much it is present in our daily lives. “Do we control time, or does it control us, or is it simply a manmade construct?� is something the artist thought about often while making this piece.
Graphic Design
TUJ Cycling Club Logo Design for Temple University, Japan Campus’s Cycling Club 2019
The Hoot News Club Logo Design for Temple University, Japan Campus’s News Club 2019
Happy New Year 2020 Design for Temple University, Japan Campus’s Seasonal Greeting Card 2019 Offset-printed Postcards 14.8 x 10 cm (5.8 x 3.9 in)
Angieism Illustration and design for exhibition inivitation 2020 Offset-printed Postcards 14.8 x 10 cm (5.8 x 3.9 in)
Personal Logo Design for artist’s business and website 2020