Theo Bolante

Chinelas ng Kapre

26cm x 11cm x 6cm

£450

This sculpture re-imagines the (cigar-smoking, hairy giant) Kapre by queering traditional everyday-wear into something fierce! Its features symbolises the traditional masculine man and re-telling the Kapre through a queer lens as a way of questioning gender stereotypes. Finding comfort in expressing different aspects of one's identity like articles of clothing and footwear.

Lip Sync For Your (Real?) Life

A compilation of 6 karaoke covers to pop/disco tracks, celebrating love (both self-love and love for others) lyrically and musically, encouraging togetherness and laughter. The songs are performed by Dwende the red elf, with Bigfoot as the supporting act! This artwork seeks to re-enchant the world through dancing and singing, and to reimagine our relationship with our own bodies.

A Little Bit About The Artist

A Statement From The Artist

Theo Bolante is a London based Filipino artist whose practice revolves around mythologies, queerness and storytelling. Evolving from my family’s immigrant experience and strong attachment to places, Theo attempts to bridge these distances to bring a closer sense of belonging and self. His recent works invite moments of escapism that strive to empower acceptance, while investigating different fragments of his identity.

Tell us about a dream you've had.

I dream about living in a rural place, where I can raise my 10 guinea pigs and take care of the plants that surround them. It will be filled with abundant greens, where the warmth of the sun never leaves. Living in a humble home, with relatives old and new, becoming a place that welcomes quiet and stillness. This dream is a symbol of the freedom and happiness I long for, to connect with nature and share its wonders. It is the antithesis of my urban reality, where the world seems to constantly move and find myself drifting.

What's your favourite movie or tv show?

Everything Everywhere All At Once.

What is your biggest influence on your practice?

My practice can be described as imaginary and playful. It is heavily influenced by mythologies and folktales, ones that I grew up learning about from childhood. Growing up in Philippines, it was a common encounter to hear stories of creatures that live alongside us, mischievous and venerable. Moving to the UK, I carried these experiences with me as a reminder of my homeland, memories that also keep me connected with my inner child.
One of my all-time artist who I look up to is Hayao Miyazaki and their hand-drawn animations; their storytelling and surreal world-building are consistently immersive and portrays a nuanced narrative that captures different dimensions of each character. Where his reality also bleeds into his stories, like his fascination with planes and relationships with his parents or his nihilistic point of view. These elements are what I strive to achieve in my works, that encourages optimism and hope, much like the messages in his films.

Phantasmal Gallery