“Ice Candy”

About the Artists.

Four-eyed artist, Rups Kiddo was born in 1987. As a young child, Rups excelled in visual arts. She took up a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Feati University in Manila and graduated in 2010. Growing up as an introvert, it took courage for Rups to socialize. Rups used this to drive herself in creating magnificent art pieces that catch the attention, especially those color-loving individuals.

In 2016, Rups Kiddo became one of the four finalists of the Look Style Awards, Accessories Category, presented by the British Council Manila and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. With her mastery of visual arts, Rups Kiddo showcased a collection of handpainted canvas tote bags and shoes. She was able to pull a convincing vote from the panel of judges that includes the country's top designers such as Inno Sotto and Randy Ortiz and fashion mogul Ben Chan. With her comedic childlike attitude towards her art pieces, Rups had created a character that embodies a free-minded spirit, SUGO. You can often see Sugo wearing out-of-this-world animal suit pajamas and sometimes mimicking famous characters. While Sugo can sometimes become emotionally savage, the world created by Rups Kiddo gives her a noble degree of freedom.

Rups had recently joined art exhibitions with SUGO as the main subject of her artworks. The four-eyed character made way to several followers to Rups Kiddo's social media accounts. Rups is a fan of the mobile game, Call of Duty. She was also a one-time vocalist of an alternative band with her college peers.

Kenichi Wani (b. 1985) Filipino-Japanese artist Kenichi Wani uses oil and acrylic to paint a whimsical world of stories. Since Wani’s early years in the Fine Arts program of the University of the Philippines- Cebu, his art communicates in shapely figures and nature-inspired backdrops. After receiving his BFA in 2013 and embarking on numerous exhibits, competitions, and fair participations in Manila, Cebu, Singapore, and Taiwan, the artist’s signature work underwent pivotal stages in terms of theme and iconography. Wani’s collections act like graphic novels where his statement round characters come alive in the most intriguing plots. The themes of these visual narratives alternate between the artist’s childhood stories, present experiences, mysterious dreams, and imagined futures. The canvases themselves are always gleaming in multi-colored palettes and never short of textural variety. Kenichi's style is a constant coalition of his Japanese roots, Filipino folk art, classical references, and international lowbrow or surrealistic styles. All these are what Wani creates as a full time artist inside his home studio in Cebu City.

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