KALAWANG COWBOY ] Kin Misa on his Tetanus Shots

Rust stains take the place of paint in Misa's works.

"I see my pieces as anti-painting. I don't really paint with brushes and tubes of paint, I leave the work to time, and the materials (medium) take care of itself. My art is based on semi-controlled accidents. Does that make any sense? I compose a picture, and i have an idea of the turnout, but the end result is left to uncontrollable elements. A "Work with nature, not against it" kinda thing. All I use is water. I control rust with water. I use it gently. Sometimes violently. Time and water.

"My first rust paintings are dated 2006. I new I found something for me. My own thing. You'd be surprised how many people like the color of rust. Or rust itself. I just love the way it stains buldings, leaving smears, sort of skid marks, flowing down the walls. Its intense color. That pigment formed by a chemical reaction, its character. Working with a medium considered to be ugly, and making cool stuff with it. And scavenging for junk gets the imagination flowing.

From left, Rustboy; the fabulous Kiefer boys (Marvin and Rafa) with the artist, behind them Vernon Perez's works in rust.

"The work on the floor is called Rustboy, para siyang nakahiga sa beach with a blanket of rust. Last minute ko na yun naisip. I wanted to use the junk i had lying around. I found the plaster head and feet at a prosthetics junk pile. You see his eyes are poked by nails, and there are rings that sort of look like glasses? Like he's in a trans. Invincible in his world of Rust. Like me."


Tetanus Shots was a two-man show of Misa and Vernon Perez at the Whitebox Studio in Cubao X last July. Color photographs by Katrina Misa; black and white photo by Ed Lejano.