Accompanied by a certificate issued by Finale Art File
confirming the authenticity of this lot

Provenance:
Acquired directly from the artist and personally
dedicated to the present owner

ABOUT THE WORK

Ang Kiukok grew up to be fascinated by marine life, mainly fishes. This peculiar attraction stemmed from his childhood memories in Davao, where he occasionally strolled by the seashore and delightfully witnessed Moro fishers enjoying their bountiful catch. Kiukok's favorite dishes also included an array of edible fishes. Interestingly, the artist is also a Pisces under the Western astrology chart. Putting all of these into context, it is no wonder that Kiukok had produced dozens of paintings of fishes and fisherfolks using various media. Kiukok employs certain practices and routines before painting an image of a fish. One artist told the esteemed art critic Alfredo Roces that Kiukok "cooks a fish, eats it first, and then paints it." Kiukok's daughter, Arlene, also recalled how his father would carefully bring the bones of the fish to their backyard to dry under the sun before painting them. Roces vividly describes Kiukok's approach to painting fishes in the book Kiukok: Deconstructing Despair. He writes: "Like his bestiary, a Kiukok fish expresses the harshness of living with other creatures of the deep: one eats the other. Their murky backgrounds place the fish in a dark, mysterious, and fearsome setting. Sometimes, they look like fossil fish on ancient rock. Sometimes, they look like dried fish split open in a butterfly cut. Sometimes, they are as menacing as dogs: lurking with their bloodshot eyes and serrated teeth, ready to swallow their prey." (A.M.)