Art through Xeroxography

LOCAL artists from Davao City and other parts of the Philippines showcased their zines, postcards, comics, stickers, and a variety of other artworks at the Better Living through Xeroxography (BLTX) event at Manga Toshokan, Wednesday, December 14.

Now on its 3rd year in Davao City, BLTX is an annual event where local artists are given the opportunity to sell some of their artworks primarily reproduced by photocopy or other accessible and cheaper means of reproduction.

According to Angely Chi, an artist and a BLTX organizer, this event first started in Manila eleven years ago. And then it was spread to the different parts of the Philippines including Baguio and Naga. Finally, it also started in Davao City three years ago.

Previously held at Sales Bar Tekanplor, Chi, together with the other organizers, wanted to encourage a variety of enthusiasts that is why they decided to hold this year’s BLTX at Manga Toshokan. The venue is known to manga enthusiasts in the city. Chi said she targets to bring in manga readers and artists in the BLTX which was what actually happened.

There were 16 exhibitors who showcased postcards and stickers with patterns and designs that the local artists personally made. Some of these were hand-drawn using watercolors and colored pencils.

Aside from the items from the local artists, there were also zines, comics, and books shipped from Baguio, Cebu, Dumaguete, Manila, Cagayan de Oro, and even Hong Kong. Cebu's Bomba Press also sent their CDs and the book Komiks Writing which are some of their new items to be displayed at the event.

Fine Arts students and teachers from Silliman University in Dumaguete also displayed zines and comics at the event as well.

For this year, joining in the display of books was the Best of Dagmay, the second anthology. It is “an anthology of the best poems, short stories, plays, essays in Dagmay from 2010 to 2012.” It was edited by Davao-based writers Don Pagusara, Jhoanna Lynn Cruz, John Bengan, and Dominique Gerald Cimafranca.

Being an annual art event, Chi hopes that for the coming years, the next BLTX will have more artists to exhibit their work and more Davaoeoños to patronize local art.