People gathering in one place over a shared interest don’t necessarily make a community. One of my biggest pet peeves is the lax use of the word “community,” the biggest offender being “community markets.” A whole discussion could be had about community-building in the Philippines, especially in the age of social media, and how a lack of third spaces, corporatization, homogenization, and policing of subcultures and shared interests, is hindering the growth of the subcultures our parents and grandparents once knew.
But surely all that wouldn’t make for a fun write-up.
Enter Kittybug Press and its first-ever Kittybug and Friends community and art market event.
Rice Gallardo, co-founder of Kittybug Press
The author with Rice Gallardo
Kittybug Press is micropress dedicated to supporting queer and female Filipino artists in the Philippines. The idea was born out of love for the Philippine art and zine scene by its founders, Anna Marcelo and Rice Gallardo. The Kittybug Press’ founders are Filipinos based in the US, with all the press operations done there.
“There’s this notion in the Philippines that Riso is an expensive medium to invest in,” co-founder Marcelo says when asked why Kittybug Press chose this print type. “It takes an entire entry-level artist’s salary to make a zine and prints. It’s really cheap in the US, and I can do it for free.”
The Kittybug & Friends poster leads visitors in.
Kittybug Press is a small but growing micropress that regularly calls on artists in its social media, who want to use Riso print but are unable to do so because of cost. Kittybug Press artists work with digital art. Kittybug Press works with artists online since it is based in the US and the artists are in the Philippines. The artists pitch projects—usually zines and prints that the artist wants to produce and sell in a bigger scale in art marts and online stores.
Kittybug Press has been operating for over a year now and has become a growing presence in the local art scene, hence the Kittybug Press & Friends art event. What caught my attention was the unique output, thanks to the print-type they use. Since it is textured, the art piece has a visual feel that is unique, enhanced by the artist’s style and the Riso print medium.
Kittybug Press primarily works with Riso printing, which is unlike the print types we are used to. While we are used to print that gives a smooth, seamless finish, Riso prints each layer of color and gives a textured finish to the final output. Because each color is printed layer by layer, the final output can look differently from what the artist initially intended, sometimes even better, according to Rice Gallardo speaking of her experience with Riso printing as a student.
With a single tweet calling for artists to work with Riso printing, Kittybug Press was born. A year later, last January 11, Kittybug Press & Friends was mounted for the first (hopefully not last) time.
Entering Imperial Mow’s last January 11, I felt a sense of excitement and nervousness. I already knew even before going in that this would deviate from my usual art market experiences. A creature of habit, I have a routine when it comes to such events: pay entrance fee, one round of browsing, another for purchasing, a final round to buy anything else, then leave. And if I still have the funds, go buy coffee and nurse the thought of my significantly lighter wallet. So, it gave me anxiety just to see how I’d fare that day.
Kittybug & Friends’ welcoming space
I was excited to see what the day had in store after having spoken online to both founders. They explained that this was, beyond being an art market, a chance for people to genuinely connect, people who must have been just as excited as I was about such an event.
The good thing about the event is….at the heart of it is community
“For the longest time, third spaces have been focused on selling,” artist Pepe Reyes explained what to him set this event apart from similar art marts. “You connect your (artist’s) identity to selling. The good thing about the event is….at the heart of it is community. Which is such a nebulous concept, but I really feel it here. All your friends are here, but you also make new friends. It’s a space for it to happen organically. Here, you just show up and be yourself. As a community you get to see what’s affecting artists in a broader scale.”
Here were friends and artists they worked with on their first year of Kittybug Press, as exhibitors, and here was an opportunity to meet more artists. Here was even more than just an opportunity to network or to sell merchandise—connection was at the heart of it.
And here I was wanting to be in the midst of it all.
The day turned out to be a blur. It was regrettable that, even if there was no shortage of great art, all the merch I was able to get came from a kind artist (shoutout to cupcakelogic) who gave me a sticker just for being friendly.
Cupcakelogic at Kittybug
Art by carlodraws in partnership with cophoebeans, the coffee pop-up in the event
The _Make Your Own Kittybug_ stand where visitors can customize their own kittybug character with art materials provided
The Zine Library, a collection of zines for visitors
The pieces in the event were all very youthful, colorful and quirky. The colors and textures stood out, given the nature of Riso printing which creates interesting texture. The limited colors create a striking effect that traditional print can’t compare to. The artists, in their mid-20s to early 30s, were inspired by the media of their youth, such as anime, cartoons.
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Many of the zines and prints were based on their lived experiences. Numbers by co-founder Rice Gallardo was based on the experience of migrating to the US, the pressures that came with being a creative in an adopted country, and the expectations social media poised on us. I Leave Early In The Morning by Elle Shivers was about “transness,” romance and cowboys.
The subject matter of their art covered a wide range of topics— complex and with depth, like the search of one’s identity and sense of belonging, or as simple as a compilation of pictures and comics from trips abroad.
The sky was the limit of their creativity, and Kittybug Press helped make those ideas become a reality.
What I could remember, every point of that day in January, was always about meeting someone new. Beyond the interviews, my day was filled with meeting people who welcomed me into the space, those just as excited as I was that an event like this was being mounted.
I observed how the space was conducive to conversation, despite the crowd. It was not like the cramped spaces I was used to in art markets. The surplus of chairs and the fact that there were a lot less artists than in bigger art markets made the space much warmer and less “hectic.” The vibe was slower and felt much more planned and deliberate.
Art and rave? An alien concept to me
Another element that set this event apart was the rave that came after. Rave had never been all that appealing to me until that day. Art and rave? An alien concept to me. I was even tempted to forgo it since partying after the full day wasn’t appealing. What changed my mind was when artist Pepe Reyes egged me on to go. Our earlier interview had been lively, engaging, his energy contagious, more so his humor.
It was simply exciting to continue talking with people, unlike in other art markets where the environment was stale and simply transactional.
The common thread binding the artists here was how they’d gone from interacting with each other online to finally having a physical space to connect in. There was this sense of appreciation of being right next to each other, and interacting. The rave reinforced it. The people just got to chat and dance. The drinks and really good music helped everyone loosen up. I just stood on the sidelines, watching and listening as people shed the weariness of the day on the dance floor. I was even encouraged to dance by a stranger, but thought better of it because I was too shy.
Annix Sarmiento, sobsannix, one of the exhibiting artists at the Kittybug & Friends
Pepe Reyes, suscipepe, one of the artists exhibiting in Kittybug & Friends
Charlene Gallardo, corny.babe, another exhibiting artist, with her merchandise
Kittybug Press co-founder Anna Marcelo
Everyone just wanted to have a good time and to ensure that everyone else was having a good time as well. It was as if there was a mutual understanding that nothing mattered in that moment, except having fun with people in the room.
“Kittybug Press is mostly an online presence, especially because we’re in New York and we try to really talk to Filipinos around the world,” Anna Marcelo told me.
“Coming here it really is so touching we’re seeing everyone who really supports us, because Kittybug is really everyone’s. It’s only possible because of all the people who support and volunteer. It’s so amazing to see it all in one day.”
“Community is a nebulous word.” That statement stuck with me as I look back on everything. At a time when the word community has been diluted to an unrecognizable degree, the January 11 event showed community in its best and truest form. Where making connections was the event’s highlight, love for a common interest among artists and art enthusiasts, having fun beyond the limits of commercial transactions, were at the core of it, thanks to Kittybug Press & Friends.
