About Jikka Defiño | Filipina Artist & Mixed Media Painter

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Jikka Defiño is a Filipina visual artist exploring interpretations of "home”, rooted in the philosophy that home may be a place, a memory, or a mental escape. Her internationally exhibited work, featured in the Philippines, USA, Italy and Thailand, employs textured strokes rendering familiar spaces.

Jikka explores “home” as familiar spaces and whimsical places, rooted in her philosophy that "home" may be spaces or experiences that we keep coming back to.

Jikka Defiño is a Filipina artist, illustrator, and designer based in Makati City.

Having previously worked in advertising for household fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands, as well as writing and editing for the country's largest lifestyle editorial titles, and most recently leading the country marketing arm for a global real estate advisory firm, she draws inspiration from her learned storytelling skills to create relatable and familiar visual compositions.

In 2021, Jikka turned her practice toward textured abstraction, using gestural strokes in bright and vivid colors to capture and convey a resonant sense of hope amidst the global pandemic.

She continued painting while navigating a career in OpenStreetMap and later in the real estate advisory sector. In the early 2020s, she had registered her art practice as a business, thus beginning her foray into the art industry.

In 2024, she has collaborated with top Philippine property management and developer companies to showcase larger abstractions in high-grade building lobbies, successfully her merging her fine art with architectural space.

Everyone has a concept of home: a whimsical escape, a living space, or an experience. i create to explore what resonates with different people.

In March 2025, Jikka was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (kidney failure). While on dialysis and preparing for a transplant, she sought mental and emotional refuge through her art.

Jikka continued to work with galleries, and by July of the same year, she had successfully showcased her art in New York and received invitations from curators to exhibit in Rome.

While on medical leave, Jikka sought to craft a visual identity and applied to Art Show Philippines’ Mentoring Program. During this time of focused training, she revisited her art process, experimenting with forms, textures and color palettes until she found a theme that most resonated with her: home.

This has since become the defining motif of Jikka's body of work. These works serve as a powerful invitation, prompting viewers to reflect on their own definitions of sanctuary, permanence, and the spaces that define their sense of self.

ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTIONS & RECOGNITION

In March 2026, one year after her kidney failure diagnosis, Jikka was awarded the Most Outstanding Mentee of her batch at Art Show Philippines' Mentoring Program.

In the same month, she presented and joined a panel on women's contributions in Filipino art at the University of the Philippines, where she examined patterns in Filipino art appreciation, and encouraged shifting the lens of art appreciation onto traditionally feminine aspects of art. Select works will be published in the coffee table book "Babae: The Art of Being A Woman".

Jikka held her first solo show, Welcome Home, in April 2026.

She was part of the 2026 Art Without Borders cohort in Bangkok, where she exhibited Filipino art for the Embassy of the Philippines in Thailand in celebration of the 128th Anniversary of Philippine Independence.

In August 2026, Jikka has been recognized as one of Art Show Philippines' top selling artists for 2025-2026 (Rank 5th) and one of the artists with highest average price of sold works (Rank 3rd). She also ranks in Quarto Arts & Events' top selling artists (rank 4th).

Jikka has participated in the Venice Biennale 2026, bringing video art and mixed media painting with augmented reality (AR) function. Her works has been featured in group exhibitions across the Philippines, and internationally in the USA, Thailand, Italy, and South Korea.

2+

cumulative years dedicated to visual arts

180+

original mixed media artworks

20+

local & international exhibits

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2026

SEP | "Lullabies" - Kunst Depot, Venice; in conjunction with the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia

AUG | "Kakalaro Mo 'Yan: A Video Game Exhibit" - Badass Art Gallery, Pasig

JUL | "Serendipity" - Quarto Arts & Events, Parañaque

JUL | "After Eight" - 1159 Creative Space, Makati

JUN | "Art Commune" - centralwOrld, Bangkok

JUN | "Art Without Borders" - Siam Pathumwan House, Bangkok

MAY | "Art Blast" - Quarto Art Events, Tiendesitas, Pasig

MAY | "The Sketchbook Project PH" - Studio 1372, Manila

APR | "Welcome Home" SOLO Online Exhibit - Art Show Philippines

MAR | "Hechyeomoyeo 14" - 헤쳐모여 Chinatown Square, Washington D.C.

MAR | "Lumière" - Kapitolyo Art Space, Pasig

MAR | "Beyond the Canvas" - University of the Philippines Open University, Los Baños

FEB | "Minutia" - 1159 Creative Space, Makati

JAN | "Hechyeomoyeo 13" - 헤쳐모여 x Farther Creative, Chiang Mai

JAN | "We Keep The Lights On" - 1159 Creative Space, Makati

2025

NOV | “Canvas Collective S3” - Madison Galeries, Muntinlupa

OCT | “ANI 2: Art in Harvest” - Art Show Philippines

SEP | “The Friday Collection” - St. Nicholas Bistro & Piano Lounge, Makati

SEP | “ANALOGOUS” - Art Show Philippines

JUL | “Wish You Were Here: Postcard Exhibit” - A.I.R. Gallery, New York

JUN | “NOSTALGIA: The Art Brings Back Memories” - Art Show Philippines

JUN | “Born to Be Free: Independence Day Exhibit” - 1159 Creative Space, Makati

JUN | “Werk of Art: A Pride Month Exhibit” - 1159 Creative Space, Makati

JUN | “Size Doesn’t Matter: Postcard Exhibit” - 1159 Creative Space, Makati
Kapitolyo Art Market -Kapitolyo, Pasig (Jun 2026)

Bangkok Art Walk - L'On, Bangkok (Jun 2026)

Kapitolyo Art Market -Kapitolyo, Pasig (May 2026)

Kapitolyo Art Market -Kapitolyo, Pasig (Apr 2026)

BGC Art Mart - BGC, Taguig (Feb 2026)

Luneta Art Fair - Rizal Park, Manila (Feb 2026)

Kapitolyo Art Market -Kapitolyo, Pasig (Jan 2026)

Hola! Escolta 2025 - Escolta, Manila (Nov 2025)

Art in the Park Philippines 2024 - Salcedo, Makati (Mar 2024)

BGC Art Mart: Bloomescence - BGC, Taguig (Feb 2024)
Community & Learning

"Lullabies" at Kunst Depot Venezia in conjunction with the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (Sep 2026)

2026 Art Without Borders Program, Bangkok (Jun 2026)

Most Outstanding Mentee, Art Show Philippines Art Mentoring Program (Aug 2025 - Mar 2026)

Partnerships

Asia Affinity Property Management and Megaworld Development Corporation

Media Mentions

Kapitolyo Art Space presents Lumière, a Women’s Month exhibition (BLNC Magazine, Mar 2026)

Jikka Defiño sets up her mixed media artworks at the Luneta Art Fair (Inquirer.net, Feb 2026)

Di Na To Drowing Podcast Ep 71: Chronically Ill Adventures with Jikka Defiño (July 2025)

"Tests, Time, and Tiredness" (Rappler, August 2025)

"Size Doesn't Matter: Art Exhibit 2025" (SunStar Davao, June 2025)