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Named after the young adult novels popularized in the late 1990s, Animorphs* orbits the same prismatic, alien, science-fiction-inspired iconography of its namesake. Typically depicting humans amidst a transformation into various animals, these iconic book covers are the genesis of Philip Leonard Ocampo’s explorations of animism, the metahuman, spirituality, nostalgia and becoming.
For more information, read Would you like to be lifted outside of yourself?, an essay by Olympia Byce.
Philip Leonard Ocampo is an artist and arts facilitator based in Tkaronto, Canada. Ocampo’s multidisciplinary practice involves painting, sculpture, writing and curatorial projects. Exploring worldbuilding, radical hope and speculative futures, Ocampo’s work embodies a curious cross between magic wonder and the nostalgic imaginary. Following the tangents, histories and canons of popular culture, Ocampo is interested in how unearthing cultural touchstones of past / current times may therefore serve as catalysts for broader conversations about lived experiences; personal, collective, diasporic, etc.
He holds a BFA in Integrated Media (DPXA) from OCAD University (2018) and is currently a Programming Coordinator at Xpace Cultural Centre and one of four founding co-directors of Hearth, an artist-run collective based in the city.
