TANGL-LAND by Landan "Tanglman" Tolentino

When someone goes to a theme park, regardless of age or background, they indulge in a new world, free from the weight and responsibilities of whatever old world they're escaping from. I realized this when visiting the 50th State Fair in my youth, and most recently the Six Flags a few hours drive from my new home in Oklahoma.

The only experience similar to this type of joyous escapism in my life has been art. I've doodled everywhere, from the sides of homework assignments and class notes to bathroom stalls and the back of checkbooks at work in a restaurant, as a means to alleviate myself from whatever situation or circumstance surrounds me. 

During the pandemic, I had the opportunity to form this lifelong means of distraction into a new passion, and I aim to have it lead to a bright-colored and unserious break from the day-to-day lives of anyone who views it. This type of escapism is the inspiration for my first art show, "TANGL-LAND."

Landan La’akea Tolentino, aka Tanglman, is an OKC based artist who was born and raised on the island of O’ahu in Kaneohe and Kahalu’u, Hawai’i. The idea of Tanglman came about in the fall of 2020 at the height of the pandemic when we were all, for the most part, still stuck in the confinement of our homes. However, Tanglman explains “art has always been apart of (his) life”. It has been his way to alleviate the boredom that can come with school and work, making it the perfect medium of expression. Before Tanglman, he would refrain from the use of color adding that “there was a lot of cross-hatching and scribbling involved”. Now, with influences from Picasso, Keith Haring, Ukiyo-E Printmakers, and some of his favorite Saturday morning cartoons like Ed, Edd, and Eddy & Dexter’s Lab, his art can be described as being doofy, bubblegum caricatures and sceneries pointing to his new found use of bright colors and cleaner lines that are in most of his current work. With the world taking a serious turn, Tanglman would like his art to be a break from all that. Tanglman presents to you his exhibition with BĀS Bookshop, inerrantly titled ‘TANGL-LAND’. “The pieces (in the exhibition) are an attempt to actively alleviate myself and others from the mundaneness and seriousness of the world.” 

For the opening reception, we had live performance by The Wide Eyed Kids and vegan treats by Plantiful Provisions.  TANGL-LAND will be on view until July 30th. at BāS Bookshop.

Photo/ Brandyn Liu