MANILA, Philippines - J.A. Tan is a 23-year-old Filipino artist based in Vancouver, Canada. The youngest child of Vincent and Zelie Tan, he describes himself as an “artist with autism,” having diagnosed to be a high functioning child with autism at the age of 2.9 years. But through his art, J.A. expresses the way his mind works.

J.A. Tan mounts “Piece by Piece…A Selection of My Personal Best,” which opens on July 23 at ArtistSpace in the Ayala Museum. The exhibit is on view until Aug. 4.

Describing his style as abstract expressionism, J.A. explores the theme of emotions in his pieces and uses textures to express the many feelings and emotions in everyday life. This forthcoming solo exhibit, “Piece by Piece,” will include paintings, drawings and collages done during the last four years.

Born and raised in Manila, J.A. has just completed his bachelor of fine arts degree at the prestigious Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Class of 2010) in Vancouver, Canada. This is his second solo show in Manila, having exhibited at Oakwood Hotel, Makati City in March 2006 after graduating from St. Scholastica’s College with a Certificate in Fine Arts. Shortly afterwards he moved to Canada to pursue his bachelor of arts degree.

Since moving to Vancouver, J.A. has participated in a number of group exhibits both in Manila and in Vancouver, Canada. According to Canadian visual artist and art educator, Jeanne Krabbendam, “J.A.’s art work seems to always come from within. His drawings, collages, or paintings look done with an easy hand, loose, built up from the inner self. Having watched J.A. paint I’ve seen his hands fill the canvas within minutes and change it as quickly as he started it. It seems all to be connected to his feelings; whatever moves him at a certain moment… While he is working, his subjects come to him; his paintings tell him what his work is about. He doesn’t work in themes, but often paintings ‘happen’ under his hands. Most of J.A.’s work could be called action painting, a gestural abstraction, an intuitive and informal, spontaneous way of painting and expression…the resulting work emphasizes the physical act and joy of painting itself as an essential aspect of his finished work.”

In his own words, J.A. states, “Art is an integral part of my existence as each work represents a personal journey of me with me, and me with the world. Creating art pieces brings me a feeling of peace and happiness since the world around me becomes clearer through the visual pictures I paint and draw. I paint to bring out my thoughts, feelings, and ideas and use my art to understand the world we live in. Through the colors and textures I use and the shapes I paint and draw, I communicate without having to use words.”

As a child with autism, J.A. spoke in complete sentences only when he was five years old. Thus he resorted to drawing what he wanted to express. He found comfort in his pencils, papers, crayons, and books when other children his age went out to play with toys and other children. J.A. spends his free time writing stories, swimming, and practicing Taekwondo. When vacationing in Manila, he meets up with his friends and cousins to go to the movies, walk around the malls, and enjoy the beaches of the country.

Asked what inspires and directs his art practice, J.A. says: “I work on my paintings the same way I work at life. I paint from small images and ideas and build up to a unified whole. As in my life, I learn in small steps and take in as much details and information as I can. I then put these all together into a whole piece that makes it possible for me to integrate myself into the world that everyone else perceives. I live and work in this same world; but it is seen in a different perspective by me and my autistic mind.”

This is echoed by Vancouver-based curator, scholar, and educator Mr.Rajdeep Singh Gill, when he describes J.A’s art as one that has “moved and inspired (him), stirred by Tan’s sensitivity and connection to his rich internal worlds and acute observations of society…soulfully capturing a rich palette of feelings, experiences, and realities.”

Similarly, after seeing a few of J.A.’s works hanging on the walls of his home and eventually purchasing a drawing from off his bedroom wall, well-renowned Filipino engineer, builder, and art lover Pabling Calma says that J.A. Tan’s works “show his excellent talent; and it is in that sense that he is different from us. His self-portraits show his desire for us to know him more. For every brush stroke is silence. His works resonate the movement of the world through his eyes.”

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J.A. Tan’s “Piece by Piece… A Selection of My Personal Best” is on view from July 23 to Aug. 4 at ArtistSpace, second floor Glass Wing, Ayala Museum, Greenbelt Park, Makati Ave. cor. Dela Rosa St., Makati City. Opening reception is July 23,^, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.         

For information, visit www.artofjatan.com and http://facebook.com/artofjatan.