Velocidad

VELOCIDAD

Jose Gamboa

About the Artist Jose Gamboa (@pinoyartista) bought his first motorcycle in the beginning of 2020, just before the pandemic hit. Since then, he’s ridden over 15,000 kilometers together with his crew (aka The G-Tito Joyride) all over the Philippines.

A self-taught illustrator and painter, he studied Graphic Design and Cultural Management in Barcelona, Spain, for three years before returning to the Philippines. He worked for four years as Brand Manager for the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos, and since the lockdown has been residing in Cavite.

He is the author several storybooks, comics, a photobook, and has participated in several exhibits in the Philippines, Norway, Spain, and Finland.

Before getting into motorcycles, Jose used to surf, dive, play football, and play way too much speed chess online.

Photo: Victor Gamboa (@vicgramboa)

pinoyartista.com All artwork © Jose Gamboa

Velocidad

There is something exhilarating about feeling your body catch the wind just after your gloved hand twists the throttle, something primal about the growl of an engine and the tremor that could be your heartbeat quickening as you blast down an open road, feet inches from chain, two wheels, and the asphalt spinning beneath you at breakneck speed.

All this has been said before. But during the longest lockdown in the history of the pandemic, freedom to move became a premium. As the rest of the world struggled to combat the coronavirus, the Philippine government shut down borders and businesses for over a year. Schools and cultural venues were considered “nonessential,” and citizens were discouraged from leaving their homes, and required quarantine passes, masks, and face shields when they did so.

The pandemic saw a stark increase in the use of motorcycles. Both for utility and

recreation. This explosion of motoculture is more than just a hobby--an obsession that is as primal as it is modern--what for some is a livelihood, for others, has become something more: A coping mechanism. As the comedian Dan Aykroyd quipped, “You do not need a therapist if you own a motorcycle, any kind of motorcycle!”

Velocidad is a tribute to a machine that, upon its inception in 1885, created a perfect mix of utility and entertainment. Practical and lethal, speed and noise, it helped shape civilization as we know it. And as the world undergoes yet another upheaval, as it tends to do from time and again, the motorcycle, what was once seen as a form of rebellion has become more a symbol of freedom.

Finally, Velocidad is a tribute to the people who love to ride motorcycles. No matter what--underbone, scooter, dirtbike, scrambler, cafe racer, sport, classic, bobber, chopper, adventure--no matter your gender, your age, your problems, all these fall away when you’re riding.

Ride or Die: A Tribute to the Delivery Drivers

Vamos 30 x 45cm (unframed) acrylic on paper

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Speedster 30 x 45cm acrylic on paper

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Thumper 61 x 51cm (unframed) acrylic on canvas

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Corner 30 x 45cm (unframed) acrylic on paper

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Moto moto!

30 x 45cm (unframed) acrylic on paper

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Kickstart 30 x 45cm (unframed) acrylic on paper

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Joyride 30 x 45cm (unframed) acrylic on paper

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Throttle 30 x 45cm (unframed) acrylic on paper

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