Artist KOMPOZTIKA Transforms Trauma into Defiant Art in New Exhibition
Artist Dominic Matthew Ricardo, known as KOMPOZTIKA and DMR, has unveiled his solo thesis exhibition KUNGPUSILONTIKAAA at Galerie Inatù in Atua Midtown. The show draws from his harrowing experience during the Philippine Drug War in 2017, when state forces raided his home and demanded money from his family. Through paintings and poetry, the exhibition confronts trauma while reclaiming personal agency. The exhibition’s core stems from a violent encounter in 2017. Armed men stormed Dominic’s home, extorting his family and leaving a lasting psychological mark. One of the intruders taunted him with the question, 'Kung pusilon tika? Maunsa man ka?' (If I shoot you, what will happen to you?)—words that haunted him for years.
His creative process blends poetry and painting, with handwritten verses serving as references for his visual work. The trauma surfaces in recurring motifs: masked figures and god-like entities, embodying both oppressors and their victims. At the heart of the show is JOD, a character symbolising state violence and the destructive nature of unchecked power.
Dominic describes his concept of 'Situational Gods'—the fluid shift between victim and perpetrator depending on circumstance. Crafting the exhibition was emotionally gruelling, often pushing him to drink to access the raw emotions needed for each piece. Despite the strain, he insists on honesty in art, urging fellow creators to confront their own traumas without flinching. The exhibition stands as both a personal reckoning and a defiant act of healing. By transforming trauma into art, Dominic reclaims his narrative and challenges viewers to engage with uncomfortable truths. KUNGPUSILONTIKAAA remains on display at Galerie Inatù, offering a stark reflection on power, survival, and the cost of silence.
