It explores personal recollections and stories of romance
Kristian Jeff Cortez Agustin, a poet and interdisciplinary artist, has published in London “For Love and Poetry,” a book that celebrates various art forms intersected with photographs and the art of weaving words.
A chapter also includes poems by a number of poets around the globe.
Integrating literature and visual art, the book explores different personal recollections and stories, as each piece not only sheds light on the experience of love, but also the losses, musings and ideas that come with it.
Exploring the weavings and undertones that lie within cultural discourse and human behavior, Agustin brings together the complexities of emotion while staying true to the concept that brought about his achievements: love.
His book recounts how love is always seen, felt, and experienced in different places, whether real or imaginary, glorious or frivolous.
Born in 1984, Agustin delves into art and poetry as an effective means of self-expression and learning.
In 2006, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Art Studies at University of the Philippines, where he co-founded Sirkulo ng Mga Kabataang Artista (Circle of Young Artists) in 2002 and serves as its artistic director.
He earned his master’s degree in Visual Culture at University of Westminster, London, in 2012, after completing his dissertation on social-media interventions in governance and subject formation.
His recent collaborations include: calligraphy work in “Fishes of Light”/“Peces de Luz” (2013) by Filipino poet and professor Marjorie Evasco and Cuban poet and dramatist Alex Fleites; libretto for “Ageless Passion” (2011), a musical for retired Philippine Chief Justice Artemio V. Panganiban, with original music by Filipino maestro Ryan Cayabyab; and his calligraphy, logo design and concept art for “Earth.Ø” (2012), a transmedia project in London conceptualized by Yen Ooi.
Last February, Agustin successfully showcased his calligraphic paintings at vMeme Contemporary Art Gallery.
“For Love and Poetry” is available on Amazon or www.universeandwords.com. Limited copies are also available at vMeme Contemporary Art Gallery, 2/F, CK Bldg., 61 Visayas Ave., QC.
