‘Slave Broker’ by Rodel Tapaya
Slave Broker is a surreal scene that immediately confronts the viewer upon entering Arndt’s gallery space. It follows the Filipino mural tradition in its large-scale format, but the iconography and style of the painting feel distinctly modern.
Despite the pops of colour in the background, the foreground of the painting is covered in morbid imagery – from the skull with worms crawling all over it, to the figures locked in a cage.
Rodel Tapaya, the artist who painted this mural, was inspired by an event in April 2015 when a Filipina was sentenced to death (along with nine others) for drug trafficking in Indonesia.
The exhibition’s title is “Diamond in the Distance”, referring to those who’ve been lured to foreign lands with the promise of a better life overseas.
See more of Rodel Tapaya’s works in Diamond in the Distance at ARNDT (Gillman Barracks, 9 Lock Road #03-21, Singapore 108937) until Oct 25. Tue-Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm.
