The Dark Knight Ph: Ram Mallari Jr. -- TDKPH January 2016 Artist of the Month

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

Mario "Ram" Mallari Jr. Better know by his colleague
as Mar Bricks

As one of the established artists, Ram Mallari Jr. is an exclusive sculptor for Galerie Joaquin along San Juan, Metro Manila. But he did not start of his career served in a silver platter. There was a time when he sold scrap metals from the Payatas dumpsites to earn a living. One day, he decided to not to sell his loot and created things out of recycled materials. He said that he felt a calling to transform metal scraps into their final form. It was as if metals were calling his name asking help from the talented young man.

He started with transforming metal to mini sculptures. His beautiful artwork grew out of a hobby he started to love. From this, he saw metals in a different perspective. For Ram, each and every metal have different stories to tell. Transforming them to their final form he reveals these stories of burden, stories of the forgotten, and stories of the mournful.

Passion and love for metal sculpting

Ram does not create his mixed media artwork for profit. Its more of caring for and showing these metals that the best is yet to come. He loved each metal like it was his own. Rearing for each piece until they are transformed into their final form, Ram makes sure that those stories of sadness are reshaped to tell better and happier stories.

Steampunk Arkham Knight mixed media statue

With most artists going for the best available materials to create beautiful artwork, Ram continued to use ~~scrap metals~~ recycled materials not because it was cheap, but because he felt fulfillment in every finished artwork. He also finds inspiration in looking for specific metals in finishing his artwork. For him, metal sculpting is not sculpting metal per se. It is finding the perfect piece and the perfect fit for every artwork. It is indeed a challenge to find that perfect piece for his work. But nevertheless, he finds it essential and of great importance not to settle for whats available. He analogizes metal sculpting to people--every person has a purpose and every person has a place. After putting the pieces together, Ram finds satisfaction in giving these metals the justice they deserve.

Steampunk TDKR

He also emphasized that he sticked with recycled materials because of the people who appreciated his work. During one of his exhibits in SM Southmall, a lot of people flocked towards his gallery. Although he wasn't able to sell much, he said that the people's fascination was already more than enough. Afterall, artworks are meant to be appreciated.

If you follow his work, you'll see heavy influences of steampunk. Its genre is composed of steam-powered machineries set in post-apocaliptic civilization. During Ram's early career, he did not know what steampunk was. His early exposure to the junk shops provided inspiration for his style. It was only when some foreign friends in Facebook mentioned it to him that he realized he was creating steampunk arkwrok. After that, he finally embraced the steampunk theme and started to blaze a trail for steampunk followers and steampunk local artists.

A group of steampunk artists who are part of Steampunk Art Philippines.

Ram Mallari Jr. was helped by Filipino Inventors' Society Producers Cooperative (FISPC) early on his career. It was their radio show hosted by Popoy Pagayon called, "KITA MO NA, GALING PINOY" that gave him his first exposure. Ram is also part of the steampunk group here in the Philippines. With so much talent in their community, they were invited in Los Angeles, California for a gallery exhibit this coming February. It is every artist's dream to be recognized in the international community. Ram's and the group's recognition in the international community is a blessing they thought would never happen. It is only through patience that they achieved their hopes and dreams. This will mark their 2nd Philippines steampunk exhibit.

Visions from the Foundry -- an exhibit last December 2014 in SM Megamall

Just last year, he was given his big break by Galerie Joaquin when he was given an exclusive artist contract. The gallery sponsored a major art exhibit where they highlighted Ram's unique style and commitment to his craft. From this signing, he was given a wider range of followers which opened a lot of opportunities for him.

Ram's Battle of the Nuts was sold for HK$80,000 during a fund raiser event in Hong Kong.

As an exclusive artist for Galerie Joaquin Philippine Fine Arts, Ram creates commissioned works. His talent knows no boundaries. He can transform metal into sculptures, furnitures, and chess sets. Currently, Ram is creating a secret Batman chess set. Just this year, he donated his "Battle of the Nuts" chess set to the International Care Ministries (ICM) for poverty alleviation. ICM has outreach centers in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, Bohol, and Palawan, just to name a few. Their projects has already benefited over 100,000 families in the Philippines.

Finished Steampunk TDKR

Ram is the sculptor (hero) that the metals deserves. He is also the local talent that we need. His only advise to up-and-coming sculptors and artists is to stick with their craft. Art demands patience and perseverance. It is not an impulse or a sudden surge of inspiration. Focus is a big factor in success. Some sacrifices have to be made in order to succeed in your craft. But most important of all, an artist will not succeed if he does not enjoy what he's doing. Ram said that love for the craft plays a big role since nothing is impossible if you are pursuing your passion. He compares this to Batman's heart. For him it is easy to understand where Batman came from, what he went through, and where he can be. It can happen to anyone if they use their talents for the greater good. This is why Ram thinks that Batman will win over Superman.

He believes that there is a Batman in every person. Limitation is just a state of mind. One can achieve anything as long as they enjoy what they're doing.