So Far, So Good: Dex Fernandez and the Art of Holding On
Words Jodie Jose
Photos Finale Art File
May 2, 2025
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This is an excerpt from Art+ Magazine March-April 2025 issue
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While “Dear Diary” is the frequently prescribed manner to begin a journal entry, Dex Fernandez begins his with a boastful bouquet bursting forth from the very first frame of his long stroboscopic scroll of memories cascading the walls of Finale Art File for his solo show, Spectrum of So Far, So Good, which ran through February.
My encounter with the exhibit was two-fold, having first visited it to experience its rawness without a walkthrough by the artist. Alone, I found myself lost in the ebullient gradient of hues, replete with repeated images that rose, morphed, then vanished frame by frame, as whirlwinds of more abstract shapes crawled, mottled, and interrupted.
The images were varied: a mirror selfie of Dex, hands unscrambling foil, a child running then turning right, Jesus idle, the cowgirl, pill bottles, feet, dog, flowers, child—this went on for yards upon yards, and if I likened its effect to a song, it would sound much like the Beatles’ “Lucy in The Sky With Diamonds.”
It was a trip, and definitely a stylistic signature of Dex Fernandez, whose extensive art practice utilizes a variety of media and techniques, including those of design and advertising, as reflected in his pop imagery. His popularization of Garapata, a spright, stylized depiction of a tick, has been seen across local and international murals, stickers, digital works, graffiti and even on repurposed found objects, blurring the lines between street art and contemporary practice.
To the artist, the Garapata embodies the Filipino spirit, one that persists, adapts and leaves its mark no matter the circumstances.
Dex’s overarching theme of resilience continues in Spectrum of So Far, So Good. Case in point is the backstory of the image in the show’s poster which reveals a house with #120 as the address number. His cue for this show arose from a change in residential addresses, which also signaled to him a change in disposition:
“Ito yung previous show ko dito sa Finale noong 2019, ‘22ESB75CC’,” pointing to the first line of the exhibition text written for him by Con Cabrera. “Home address ko ‘yan sa Caloocan. Yung context ng show was about mga personal struggles and troubles. And then ‘120’, ito yung current address ko sa Quezon City. Continuation lang ng mga nangyayari sakin from the previous show, may big improvements naman, not totally okay pa. So sinort-out ko yung mga negative and positive. Tinira ko lang mga positive experiences: friends, family, and loved ones.”
