ERIC ROCA

Roca’s paintings can be described as surreal, symbol laden, dark, grim, morbid and grotesque. They are depicted with mostly twisted images of raw sinewy creatures that seem to be in a perpetual state of despair. They are his allegorical portrayals, his stance on which he mirrors the state of society and the political environment that he is currently in. He attributes his start in painting with the late Bobbi Valenzuela, then the curator of Hiraya Gallery, as his “adviser/mentor” having given the artist his first solo exhibition in Hiraya’s “Discovery Series”. Born in Lucena City, Quezon province, he studied Architecture at Enverga University, and eventually took up fine arts, major in Painting, at the University of the Philippines. Started his career as an illustrator, particularly for children’s books, then to magazines, newspapers and other publications. He has worked for “The Straits Times” of Singapore as an Editorial Illustrator for several years. Currently, he is a contributing artist for “The Manila Bulletin” as an Editorial Cartoonist.