Abstract expressionist donates royalties to typhoon victims

When abstract expressionist Kenneth Montegrande was invited by Katinko to share his art works through an art box for a cause, he immediately thought of donating his royalties to a certain charity. The project, his first collaboration with Katinko, was launched to help artists cope with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kenneth, for his part, saw it as an opportunity to give back, through the royalties he will receive.

Last month, when typhoons Rolly and Ulysses struck and left a trail of destruction recently, Kenneth thought of donating his royalties to the victims of the typhoons. Through the Katinko art box, artists will get P500 for each art box. An art box is sold for P1,500.

“I decided to donate a hundred percent of my shares to our kababayan in the Bicol region, Catanduanes, Marikina, Rizal, Isabela and Cagayan who are now experiencing hardships due to the Rolly and Ulysses typhoons. I submitted three of my artworks to Katinko and each of them will be printed on 500 art boxes only. Through my shares, I have donated 35,000 pieces of four-liter purified drinking water containers for the victims of the said areas,” Kenneth told writers during a recent get-together, which was also attended by Melissa Yeung-Yap, Katinko’s president and CEO. “I know the number might not be big enough, but our goal is to at least help our countrymen through any means possible. Maaring maliit na bagay para sa atin, subalit para sa  kanila kapantay nito ay buhay.”

Kenneth, through his abstracts and landscapes, has been making a name for himself both in the local and international art scenes. He has caught the eye of one of the most discriminating art connoisseurs in the world, Yusaku Maezawa. He is the first Southeast Asian artist to grace the world-class collection of the Japanese billionaire.

Kenneth’s works were also chosen to be a part of the Malacañang Palace collection.

The limited-edition art box, which is made of fine wood, contains the brand’s popular and beloved relief ointments, including COVID essential alcohol. On the box’s surface are the precious artworks of 11 local artists namely, Rishab Tibon, Rene Robles, Dhennis Sigua, Carlo Ongchangco, Francis Nacion, Kublai Millan, Ariosto Dale Bagtas, Emmanuel Sia and Yeung-Yap herself.

Kenneth is proud to be a part of the project and hailed Katinko for the masterful handling of his artworks, in terms of quality, detail and representation.

For those who want to view the art boxes, you can check the Instagram account specifically made for this project. Katinko has launched a specially-curated, gallery-like photos of the art boxes on IG. Kenneth chose three artworks from his collection. These are an abstract piece which measures 48x72, the sunset paintings titled Safe in God’s Arms and the other is Another Sunset with You, a masterpiece measuring 12x18. The art boxes can be bought online via Facebook (Katinko) and IG (@katinko.artbox). You can also order by messaging Kenneth on his Facebook account.