About Us
We are an independent artist collective based in Iloilo, Philippines that cultivates connections among artists and grassroots communities through the inspiration and aspiration of fundamental values grounded in localization, communal reciprocity, and public space revitalization.
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For seven years of active community-engaged arts, we continue to create public art projects that reinforce the important voices of the unheard and the undermined; decolonize white-normative viewpoints: stories of noble resilience in ‘Ugat Bisan sa Sidsid’ — a mural of exceptional Ilonggos that achieved admirable feats yet unable to breakthrough mainstream awareness; designing and hosting a gathering to allow children to express in art activities and installations their experience with devastating typhoons in ‘Mata sang Bata, Mata sang Bagyo’; subverting narratives of grandiosity in ‘Ang Kan-on, Mapilit’ by dignifying through murals in Iloilo the silent toil of the local vendors, craftsmen, anglers, and the public transportation drivers as living markers of constancy that connects the past and the present.
Every project centers around the people; the collaborators, the concepts, and the intent.
This commitment nurtures a culture of reciprocation and is actively passed on to the next generation through youth engagements, mentorship, and volunteerism with the Kikik Katalysts.
Our ethos and process
Having immersed ourselves in art galleries, museums, poetry reading venues, and the academe, we felt the curiosity and calling to also bring art in the streets, for the grassroots, and public spaces. The original plan was to paint murals, yet the intention deepened into designing site-specific, sociopolitical theme-rich, and human-centered design projects.
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Our process begins with immersion – exploring the location through its landscape, energy, and dynamics. Then, we collect questions and clamors. From there, we narrow the narrative to an encompassing theme that serves as a guide for all the murals, performances, workshops, and contests.
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As we design the program, we put the people we work with at the center. The locals take part in developing a dialogue whether it is through painting walls, crafting their contest entries, joining in the workshops, or showcasing their talents in the presentation. We invite our fellow artists and community movers to convene and forge concepts and approaches, then weave these diverse parts into a shared space and philosophy. Whatever we create together represents our suggested solution, our dream, our bigger inquiry.
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Over the years, every Kikik Kollektive project and event reveals to us that unity does not necessarily mean uniformity and oneness can be experienced amidst diversity. Every wall painted breaks another unseen wall.
Major Projects
Artivism 1.0
Artivism 2.0
Artivism 3.0
Artivism 4.0
Artivism 5.0
Download our
portfolio here
