Kimberly Ann Cruz (born December 13, 1997), better known as Kim Cruz, is a 25-year old Filipina Visual Artist who is about to hold her first international exhibition in Tokyo, Japan this March 2023.
A former TV host, her pursuit of art started at a very young age when she started painting as a child. Cruz eventually took up Fine Arts in college in the Philippines at Ateneo De Manila University with the intention to pursue Art Business. Now studying Art Therapy and Curation, Cruz has been juggling being around different countries and traveling for her artistry.
Image: Kim Cruz
Cruz rekindled her love for art during the pandemic after her stints on Philippine TV. Cruz applied as an intern for a gallery and continued to learn the ropes of the art industry. Since then, she already had two sold-out solo shows in less than a year. Both shows were held at Secret Fresh Gallery in the Philippines. She also had her third exhibition in collaboration with French Photographer, Camille Robiou Du Pont in Modeka Art in Manila.
At the age of 25, Cruz is holding her first international exhibition at the Tokyo Tower in Tokyo, Japan for the Tokyo Tower Art Fair.
Cruz was exposed to the arts at an early age since her parents were collectors of figurative art specifically from Filipino and East Asian artists. Growing up in a very conservative and traditional environment in school, Cruz always felt out of place and considered art as a way to release and be in touch with her femininity.
Cruz began her artistic career sketching figures using charcoal and pastels and eventually ventured into painting. In her depictions of the human form, Cruz transcends the boundaries of both classical figuration and modern abstraction. Her works mainly focus on the female figure with a play on textures and depth giving her works a more contemporary take. Her vision of expounding on the duality of feminine figures can be seen through her art with the use of heavy textures combined with soft and dream-like subjects and colors.
Last June 2021, Kim held her first exhibit in Manila entitled, Figure Study. The exhibit showcased large- scale pieces and a few works in charcoal. On the first day of the exhibit, all 14 of Kim’s pieces were purchased. She held her second exhibition in March 2022, entitled “Nymphéas” in Manila under Secret Fresh Gallery. She exhibited 20 works for the solo exhibition and her works sold out on the first day as well. Her latest exhibition entitled “Paradis Perdus” in collaboration with French Photographer Camille Robiou Du Pont was held in Modeka Art Gallery in the Philippines.
Kim has had a lot of notable art collectors from both the Philippines and internationally as her clients since then consisting of international and local public figures and notable art collectors such as Manny Pacquiao, Jordan Poole, Rome Flynn, Mark Nicdao, Nadine Lustre, Brian Llamanzares Poe and more.
Besides her love for art, Cruz is a humanitarian volunteer in multiple non-profit organizations such as Called to Rescue Philippines, Passion Project and Local Lab. She has initiated Art Therapy programs, fundraising exhibitions and feeding programs. Focusing on her purpose when it comes to art, Cruz considers these as her driving forces and inspiration to succeed in her artistry and career.
