The Kicking Artists, a group of artists from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) who were initially united by their love of football but who segued into art, mounted a group show at Big Sky Mind, a New Manila gallery and bar known since it opened in 1999 as a hangout for creatives from various disciplines.

Titled “Collective Minds,” the show features work from artists Zig Abella, Remy Del Rosario, Jao Mapa, Joseph Papa, Chuck Severino, and Bim Zabella. “We play football a lot, that’s when we decided to put up a show and exhibit our work. That was less than three years ago, but some of us were painting earlier, like Jao. I painted earlier, but I stopped to practice architecture, so this is a comeback, and for Jao, this is a way to continue his art, together with schoolmates and teammates,” Zig said.

The works are a mix of themes and media. “We didn’t start with a particular theme or a particular subject,” Zig mentioned. “'Collective Minds' is about individualism… Hindi kami nagcoconform. The show, kung ano yung trip mo, ilabas natin, walang istorya (We didn’t conform. The show, whatever you’re into, we’ll put it out, no stories).”

Zig’s central theme for this show was astronauts done with acrylic and ink. “You cannot label me as an artist with a certain style. I still develop, I still experiment, and I easily lose interest in the art that I’m doing. I change it and sometimes, I go back to it. That’s just the way I do my art,” he enthused.

Joseph, who picked up the brush during the pandemic, shared that he considers himself a Vespa rider more than an artist, something that is reflected in his art. “Isa lang ang subject ko (I only have one subject), more on Vespa, and then watercolor. The vision is just to highlight all the details of the Vespa.”

Jao considers himself a figurative expressionist who likes painting from Filipino daily life. “Taho vendor, fishermen, magsasaka (farmers), mother and child, anything that, if you look at it, ‘Uy, Pinoy ito (Hey, that’s Pinoy),’” he said. His mixed media series uses acrylic with pen on paper.

Bim considers himself a contemporary expressionist. Called the “Anonymous Series,” his work pays homage to unsung heroes of everyday life and is done in acrylic and oil. “They don’t represent any famous characters but they represent unsung heroes,” said Bim. “They are passionate sa mga ginagawa nila (with what they do).”

Remy’s oil pastel on paper series is about self-expression. Her job requires her to be objective, so she pours all her feelings onto paper. As her work requires her to travel a lot, all of the works exhibited were done on a plane, “because you can’t be on your cellphone, but you have a lot of thoughts.” “I used to paint a lot in college, and I’ve found it’s really therapeutic,” said Remy. I concentrate on colors that are more on fire-type of thing because I feel that that’s the strength of how I want to convey stuff emotionally.”

Chuck, who is also a Vespa enthusiast, credits his father, artist Lino Severino, for his introduction to art. His pen and ink work features eclectic subjects. “Old houses seem to get me,” he shared. “I draw basically anything, even my childhood. From robots to anything I feel on that particular day.”

There’s a lot to see and think about in this exhibit. “Personally, when I do my art, I do it for myself, so the person that will connect to the art… That will be our connection. The relationship is through my art,” Zig said. “It’s not really targeting a specific crowd, it’s just finding the person na magugustuhan yung gawa mo (who will like your work).”