Romeo Lee
Published October 09, 2019
What do the psychedelic fever dream paintings of ghouls and engkantos by Filipino contemporary artist Romeo Lee say about him? Is the walking urban Lee-gend and wild thing a superstitious man?
To those who see the magic or who've grown to appreciate his art, Lee-gend is a fitting description. ""...While he’s been an artist for nearly 30 years, he’s never considered himself part of the mainstream but more of an outsider, due in part to his refusal to paint anything other than what he feels like. That’s slowly changing, though, as people have become more appreciative of his work (characterized by unusual colors, layers of dripping, swirling paint, and ghoulish imagery) helped in part by his growing skill in navigating social media, his friendship with a certain matinee idol, and the high praise from foreign publications whenever he holds shows abroad, either as a solo artist or as part of Manuel Ocampo’s group of artist friends, the so-called Bastards..." Pierre Calasanz, Town & Country, February 2016
