Cover Gravity Art Space
Gravity Art Space
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Where there’s art, there’s gravity. Math whiz Indy Paredes tells us how the local art scene thrives atop a former Japanese steakhouse in Quezon City
If you live anywhere around Quezon City, you know where to go for a sumptuous Japanese-Latin fusion feast: in Nanka Steakhouse tucked along an unassuming spot in Mother Ignacia Avenue. In 2023, the famed restaurant is no more, yet the space it left behind continues to flourish.
Indy Paredes and his partner Melai Matias conceived and built Gravity Art Space (GAS) atop the old Nanka after they got the approval of restaurant owner Jaykie Peñaflor.
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“I had always known that Quezon City is home to the local art scene. The idea of putting up a gallery spurred when my partner asked me to create a catalogue of my artworks,” shares Paredes.
“We sold three works to three different people; one of them asked if I could also sell my friends’ works but thought it would not be ethical since it bypasses the role of an art gallery. Melai, being straightforward, asked ‘why not make an art gallery?’”
Birth of an Artist
Above Gravity Art Space used to be on the second floor of Nanka Japanese Steakhouse in Quezon City (Photo: Jellybeans in The City)
Gravity Art Space used to be on the second floor of Nanka Japanese Steakhouse in Quezon City (Photo: Jellybeans in The City)
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Paredes’ humble beginnings were not quite like his contemporaries. As a child, he showed no interest in holding any sort of art material. He spent all his years in grade school competing in math contests and training hard even on summer vacations. “I was in a math olympiad where I solved modules,” he admits. “[it had gotten to the point where] my parents encouraged me to join art competitions as an extracurricular activity, I was such a geek."
His genuine interest in the arts developed in 2010 when Paredes and his family moved to a house with an attic. “The place had this creative energy, it made me so excited about doing something. When we moved, there were still paint cans and scrap plywood in the bodega [storage room]. I played with them and painted every day. Later on, I drew and painted on objects that could be worn like bags, jeans, and shoes. That was the birth of Indefinitestone: an online custom kicks store."
“Eventually, I had to ‘level it up,’ so I enrolled at the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Fine Arts."
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Paredes owes much of his artistic accomplishments to UP. In this institution, he met respected abstractionist and professor Benjie Cabangis, who encouraged him to apply for a University grant to study in Paris.
“Life in UP really shaped the person I am today. It feels empowering to be part of the UPCFA because it is a community of creatives who care about the development of every artist. I learnt a lot from professors like Nestor Vinluan and Ling Quisumbing whose exhibitions included my block's works. Because of them, our outputs were able to land West Gallery, Galleria Duemila, J Studio, and Tin-Aw."
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Paris Protégé
Above Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris (Photo by Danielle DAILLOUX/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris (Photo by Danielle DAILLOUX/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
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Above Indy Paredes' works are heavily influenced by the Filipino lower and middle-class environments
Indy Paredes' works are heavily influenced by the Filipino lower and middle-class environments
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Paredes fondly remembers his sojourn at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris (ENSBA) where he took his art residency programme. There he met his mentor Pascale Marthine Tayou, a Cameroonian artist whose internationally-acclaimed works graced Berlin National Gallery, Mudam Luxembourg, Milton Keynes, and more.
“In ENSBA, you need to belong to an atelier. When I started studying, my classmates and I attended a few orientations and toured different ateliers, but three weeks later, I still wasn’t able to choose mine,” the artist recalls. “A tall man approached me and asked if I was looking for an atelier and I eagerly said yes. He was Pascale Marthine Tayou."
Paredes describes his first impression of Tayou’s studio as a place that is full of art materials, trash, and works in progress.“Tayou’s deal was for me to learn and not showcase what was inside my portfolio,” he adds.
The mentor eagerly browsed Paredes’ portfolio and made a challenging activity for his new-found protégé. “He asked me to go to the streets of Paris and observe how different they were from my homeland. He asked me to draw using my left hand. He wanted me to loosen up, to stop being so conscious with straight lines, and make mistakes,” Paredes tells Tatler.
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GAS Director Indy Paredes with his mentor Pascale Marthine Tayou
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"He [my mentor] asked me to go to the streets of Paris and observe how different they were from my homeland. He asked me to draw using my left hand. He wanted me to loosen up and make mistakes,”
Years later, Paredes proudly says that he truly found his own style: works that are heavily influenced by the Filipino lower and middle-class environments. He developed this distinct technique after Tayou observed that his geometric paintings resembled those of the Russians and not Filipinos.
In Paris, the artist crafted Transit, a three-piece installation that reflects how the artist felt in a place where he was basically an alien. “In Paris, I did not see any resemblance in any corner. It was a place where I didn’t understand the community’s language. Nevertheless, I considered it a fun adventure–being alone in a place I am not familiar with,” he reflects.
Although he had to leave Paris, he says that he continues to recount with a smile, all the memories he spent in the city. “My residency in Paris helped me a lot. It pushed me to think more. I want to put it this way—I am still me and the art that I used to do is still inside me. Paris merely planted brand new ideas and energy."
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In Gravity: Where Art Falls in Place
Seeing so many artists from different disciplines in our gallery made me realise that we should not stop what we are doing here
Gravity Art Space tirelessly fuels the art and culture scene of Quezon City; established in 2021, the gallery saw and survived the height of COVID-19. At the time of its conception, Paredes barely had resources, yet his hunger for pulling together a band of passionate creatives kept him going.
“Putting up a gallery requires quite a big amount of money, so we looked for investors. I pulled up all the things I know about galleries and made a presentation. Fast forward to today, we have already hosted so many events in GAS—exhibitions, talks, film screenings, gigs, and experimental performances.”
Paredes believes that The No Name Show, which concluded in November 2022, was among the gallery’s most sought-after exhibits. There, rookies and veterans featured their works alongside each other with no names.
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The No Name Show at GAS (Photo: Cartellino)
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“The most memorable will always be The No Name Show. It always makes me feel that GAS is really an ‘artist-community-supported space,’” Paredes explains. “Seeing so many artists from different disciplines in our gallery made me realise that we should not stop what we are doing here."
In a short span of time, Gravity Art Space was able to promote camaraderie among its community—a feat that Paredes and his team never saw coming. In the coming days, the gallery will have a small shop, a cinematheque, and a restaurant in its quaint space.
“I look up to all my friends who continue to practise their art. I admire their perseverance and hard work, knowing that being an artist is not really easy. I am a fan of all the ‘creatives’ who evolve and challenge themselves,” Paredes shares.
“What I always look for are artists with a sense of openness and understanding, artists who are good to work with and are true to others and to themselves. I always admire people who want to pursue new things. GAS prides itself on having been able to work with people with these characteristics,” he concludes.
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Credits
Images: Indy Paredes, Gravity Art Space, Cartellino, 'Jellybeans in The City'
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Jove holds a degree in Journalism and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Philosophy at the University of the Philippines–Diliman. She has flair for in-depth, interview-driven stories that explore politics and culture, shaped by her background in national broadsheets.
When she’s not on assignment, Jove spends her days painting, sipping lemonade, and walking her dog, Jupiter. She can often be seen in Escolta with a film camera in hand, browsing novelty shops in search of rare memorabilia. For leads, reach her at Jove@tatlerphilippines.com.
