In 2011, when researching emerging South Asian talents to acquire for the Tiroche DeLeon collection, which was only starting to be built, Serge came across the work of a young Filipino artist by the name of Rodel Tapaya, via a small Berlin-based gallery. Based on some images and a few conversations, Serge was struck by the sheer size, painting quality, and beautiful indigenous mythological stories behind the work of the young talent, and decided to acquire 2 significant works. A few months later, Serge was contacted by the Singapore Art Museum requesting to borrow a large 3x6 meter painting which was short-listed as one of 15 finalists for the 2011 Signature art prize - the most prestigious pan-asian art prize. Serge was invited to the exhibition where he met Rodel in person for the first time, who ended up winning the top award for his 2010 masterpiece ‘Kane of Kabunian - Numbered but Cannot be Counted’, and a friendship was struck. Soon after, Serge introduced Matthias Arndt to Rodel’s work, and he started representing him via his Berlin gallery. In 2014, the two travelled together to Manila to be present at the opening of Tapaya’s first solo museum show at the Ateneo Art Gallery. In January 2018, the same painting was featured in the Tiroche DeLeon Collection’s standout booth at Art Stage Singapore, but by mid-2019 the collection was being unwound, and this now famous masterpiece was sold at a Manila auction for over $380’000, setting the all-time auction record for the artist.
