Gromyko Semper

The visionary surrealist art of Gromyko Padilla Semper

Gromyko Padilla Semper is something of a cult phenomenon. Well known amongst members of the International Organizations, prestigious surrealist/visionary art societies, and associations as the ever-prolific and hard-working surreal - visionary artist, theistic philosopher, and symbolist, he is bringing the surreal back to the attention of the modern art-community – regardless of the many risks that befall on him for it.

His creations are provocative, sometimes shocking, yet powerfully and beautifully riddled with striking symbolism. His pieces, crafted with the knowledge that art is subjective to the viewer and that the essence he feels for his work is personal - in comparison to the viewer’s interpretations - contrast with the modern familiarities about the nature of reality.

Gromyko documents the experience of the human entity, his works ironies, metaphors, and paradoxes. He summons within us the sleeping child, the questioning, un-conditioned - yet long dormant - desire to know, to doubt. Through his pieces we sail through the realization of evil, hypocrisy, and perversion in order to change it for good. He believes that a visionary approach to art, as Dali would have put into words, "a combination of mysticism and nuclear physics (science), is the only hope we have to look forward in art.

As to his own works, Gromyko emulates a sense of the visionary and, even though he stands on the shoulders of artists from the past as sources of inspiration, he pushes the limits of past discoveries towards the future through his pallet and brush. He is at the frontline of those that seek to propel the future of art as a future heading towards a self-cognizant, neo-renaissance spectacle and this duty Gromyko feels he must undertake “to periscopically see through time...with mysticism and psychology along with metaphysics...and discover the extent of the gift from God...’’.

Gromyko’s Dream is one of passion and meticulosity, an artistic revolution, a discovery of truth:

“The revolution of the mind involves not only the mind but also everything in this concrete materiality...hand in hand, brother to brother, a utopian vision it may seem, but by showing the ugliness of lies and the bitter truth, in religion, in everything, I see that there is still hope...the artist must learn to navigate and show this movement towards the future in his art...that dream, even if I myself in absolute self cannot achieve, the glory of pursuing such is worth the price I’m paying and worth the sweat I’m excreting...’’

Article by Joseph Michael O'Naraigh,

A Critique of “Madonna of the Syringe”*(ink on paper) by John Paul Thornton, artist extraordinaire, Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles, California, 2009

"None of you are going anywhere. We are all going to stay right here and be happy and thankful..."
That's a line spoken by Mad Max to a tribe of children in a post-apocalyptic future world. It's from an action movie made decades ago called "Beyond Thunderdome." In this particular scene, Max, who has supposedly spent years blowing up thugs, committing mayhem and blasting his way through the wastelands of Australia, stumbles upon a sweet village of children. Sheltered in a lush oasis, hidden from the murderous horrors of Post World War three civilization, these children are excited to meet up with Max, who they believe to be their savior. At one point in the story, a few children are inspired to leave their safe oasis to venture into the cruel world outside.

It is then that Max suddenly states these lines I quoted above. The audience is a bit shocked to hear mad Max transform into a caring parental figure. He warns them to temper their curiosity, swallow their youthful adventure, and just stay right where they are. He knows what dangers await them, should they leave.

Of course, in the movie, the children leave anyway, and so begin a risky journey into the great unknown. Max's warning goes unheeded.

my point is, we embrace danger. We question warnings.

Now, let us examine the delicate drawing at hand. The artist Gromyko is an amazing creator. In this compelling work, "Maddonna of the Syringe," we are met with a similar warning of sorts. It is a warning for our real world, our real culture.

The drawing itself is one of many from a series which appear to be etchings or woodblocks from a period long before our own century. They mimic the style of prints made in

during the 1600s, a time of religious war, inquisition and fervor.

In fact, this series is created by Gromyko with pen and ink, in rapid execution. The designs of all of these works are intricate and illustrative, like images one might stumble upon in a huge thick, musty book, tucked in the bowels of a forgotten library. But to know that they were made just recently, by a young artist from our own time gives us pause to wonder: What is Gromyko about? Who is this person, living along the

, scribbling religious iconography like a Baroque engraver, delivering comments on the evils of drugs and Hallucination-inducing stupor?

And why do we care?

Gromyko himself is a young master of surrealism, a style which has grown to become one of the most durable and defining modes of our time. And Gromyko, like many artists of our time, has become adept at embracing history. He froths at the mouth when speaking of the great chain he feels connected to. And he seems to tell us that we ought to be in love with this connection as well. So to use an antique impression of the Maddonna is simply his way of using the most honored and eloquent words he can. She is forever. She was our great great great great Grand mother, and will be our yet-unborn great great great Grand daughter. Yet in Gromyko's vision, she is at risk of perverting herself, and thus perverting our culture.

She is capable of leaving the safe oasis of prayer and creativity to embrace the false energy of narcotics. She prays to the bones of dead ends and false promises.

And so, in a way, Gromyko's message is a plea, like the Mad Max character, who told the children to trust in the beauty they had, instead of risking it for a life in the wasteland.

Gromyko calls for us to sense our great connection with the eternal past, while reminding us that the way to escape this fucked up world is through art. Not the drug of pathetic, stupid reality. however sobering, reality makes us drunk with baseness and causes us to substitute thrill for authenticity.

Gromyko whispers, "Sit down and draw." Become the dust you were and the dust you may yet be... but do it with your own mind, your own magical mind, ripe with dreams beyond the real.

And be thankful.

John Paul Thornton, 2009

(*Madonna of the Syringe belong to the private collection of John Paul Thornton, an influential artist/writer extraordinaire, and author of the book ART and COURAGE, who is famous for his Missing Children series)

Artist Bio:

Born: January 13 1985, 4 years before Salvador Dali dies.

Age: 24 and Counting

Civil status: On a relationship

Education: Undergrad, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, La Fortuna College

Certificate, Basic and Advanced Painting and Drawing Lessons, His Art Gallery and Performing Arts Center

Individual Exhibition/s:

Society for Art of Imagination (Prestigious Surreal Fantastic Visionary Art Society)

Gromyko.artlmntl.com
the-surreal-arts.deviantart.com
Absolutearts.com
Stormartists.com

Gromykosemper.carbonmade.com
Gromyko.deviantart.com
Lostbooks.deviantart.com
Saatchi-gallery.com
MyArtPlot.com
abnormals.org

Visionary Art Tribe at Ning.com

Visionaryartists.deviantart.com

Collaborativecorpse.deviantart.com

Group Exhibitions:

Books and Art Fair, 2005, Nueva Ecija Convention Center
NECAG, 2006, Nueva Ecija Convention Center
Sining Kabanatuan,Araw ng Kabanatuan, 2006, Cabanatuan City Hall
Art Fair, 2007, CLSU, Nueva Ecija
Philippine Art Awards, 2008, Philip Morris Group of Companies, GSIS MUSEUM
Fixed Exhibition, from 2007, Museo Ecijano, Nueva Ecija Provincial Capitol
Grand Opening Exhibit, 2008, 71 C. St. Gallery, Cabanatuan City
NUEVA Group Launching, 2008, 71 C. St. Galllery, Cabanatuan City
Grand Opening Exhibit, 2008, Desegno Delarosa, Cabanatuan City
Group Show, NE Pacific Mall, Cabanatuan City

Affiliations/Positions:

Founder/Administrator/President, International Imaginative Artists Association (IIAA)

Iiaaproject.deviantart.com

Administrator, The Surreal Arts Club, International Surrealist Club

Member, Society for Art of Imagination, Internationally acclaimed Society of Surreal/Fantastic/Visionary Arts

Member, Visionary Art Tribe, A Brotherhood/Sisterhood of Visionary Creators headed by artist Otto Rapp

Member, Abnormals.org, Contemporary modern Arts Association,

Contributor, Death Book project, a book Published by Negoist.com, Poland

Co-Editor, Imagine the Imagination: New Visions of Surrealism, soon to be released book on New Surreal Art Works, and published by negoist.com, Poland

References:

Hector Pineda, Surrealist, Huixquilucan

hpineda@savi.com.mx

John Paul Thornton, Artist, Department of Cultural Affairs,

art@johnpaulthornton.com

Christian De Boeck, Founder,Fantastic Art Center

Presided by renowned Fantastic Realist Ernst Fuchs,South Africa

Christian@FAC.org

Bridgid Marlin, renowned Fantastic Realist Artist,

brigid@AOL.com

Kulay-Diwa  is a venue for Philippines and Southeast Asian Contemporary Art. Inaugurated on February 7, 1987, Kulay-Diwa, is strategically located within a cluster of communities South of Manila.  It has five independent exhibition areas able to accommodate large-scale works and a garden ideal for programs, performances and sculpture installations.  The goal of the gallery is to discover and promote the works of young, talented but deserving Filipino Artists and to foster cultural interaction and exchanges with the local regions and other countries.

Kulay (Colour)

Diwa  (Spirit, Thought)

Available works:

Description:

And so it was when time immemorial is no longer memorized when in the memory of these pseudo-visionary minds did these visions arise, from the chemical infatuation of fungal sublime then came what seem to be as God did arrive...or not…

Description:

It is a common dogmatic catholic view that any apparition should be considered sacred. I saw an apparition in the toilet bowl after I took a load out of my systems…come and invite the Cardinals so they may whisk some holy water and declare that another apparition has taken place, again!!!

Description:

Catholic Ecstasy of the Nun whores reveling in the night with a priestly rod rodding itself among the sweet bossoms of these blasphemous young ladies ready to suck down every holy baton they comes across with...

Abortion is the solution says the Benedictive Pope....come on my Sister, take this and be cleansed...

Description:

The serpent tells the woman that she will not die if she eats the fruit of the tree: "When you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."So the woman eats, and gives to the man who also eats. "Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons." The man and woman hide themselves from God, the man blaming the woman for giving him the fruit, and the woman blaming the serpent. God curses the serpent, "upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life;" the woman he punishes with pain in childbirth, and with subordination to man: "your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you;" and Adam he punishes with a life of toil: "In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground." The man names his wife Eve, "because she was the mother of all living."

"Behold," says God, "the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil." God expels the couple from Eden, "lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever;" the gate of Eden is sealed by cherubim and a flaming sword "to guard the way to the tree of life."

Description:

The hermetic conscience witnessing the weeping of furniture religion adversely relating the condition of human existence and its nihilistic decadence with hopes that manna shall fall from heaven before the apocalypse convene.

Description:

Dividing everything into separate entities such as good and evil, black and white only allows us to blame someone for the bad we do. It conversely solidifies our faith in a God who cares about us personally. We take comfort, but no credit in our dualistic beliefs.

Description:

and I saw them as I entered the nun whore house, these three disgraceful graces gracing the hallway, I couldn’t help but erupt like a volcano as I smell their scent...luscious beings foretold to burn in hell...

Description: The heirophant of entheogen holding a blossoming bush of cannabis sativa disguised as an idle branch with lunatic tendencies witness by dalinian entities mimicing the moon and the sun for all we now spitting seminal fluids on the nun whoric cross dressing Pope Benedict.

Description:

The Three stages on Becoming a Visionary

Stage I: Opening the Eye of the Physical
Stage II: Opening of the Eye of the Mind
Stage II: Opening of the Eye of Vision/Spirit

Description: 

This is an exquisite Corpse Collaboration between artist Tim bush of USA , and Myself…

Tim sent me his half bottom drawing and covered the rest allowing only an inch of it for me to continue in the upper portion.