Art by Rio Sebastian
This original watercolor artwork of Apo Whang-od (inspired by the Vogue Philippines cover photo) is on exhibit at the celebration of the 125th anniversary of Philippine Independence, organized by the association of Filipino-French community in Midi-Pyrénées, France.
Whang-od Oggay, also known as Maria Oggay, is a Filipino tattoo artist from Buscalan, Tinglayan, Kalinga, Philippines. She is often described as the “last” and oldest mambabatok (a form of tattoo method) and is part of the Butbut people of the larger Kalinga ethnic group.
Apo Whang-od, as we fondly call her, is very famous all over the world for her unique form of tattoo method. People from all over the world take pains to have a piece of her unique artistry imprinted on their skin.
In the Philippines, tattoos are part of the heritage of a native group, particularly in the Northern Luzon regions. I am proud to be a part of this region with colorful traditions and pride in their heritage.
Hi I’m Rio! I’m originally from the Philippines, but I have lived and worked in Singapore as an I.T. Engineer for almost ten years, and then moved to Toulouse, France with my family since 2017.
As a watercolor artist, I had no formal training. I have only self-learned to paint via tutorials on the internet. Back in the early 2000’s, I took a crash course in photography back in the Philippines, and took a short course on Drawing at La Salle College of the Arts in Singapore in 2014.
For more of my paintings, visit springfugue.com/paintings and my online shop via Zazzle .com
springfugue.com 