Kikik Kollektive, an independent collective who connects with grassroots communities, has amplified the #AtinAngKinse declaration and campaign of small-fishers in this year’s Art for Everyone 2025 at SM City Iloilo. 

In their collage, titled “Ang Dagat Samtang Mas Maarat,” 14 youth artists highlighted the struggle of fisherfolk families living along coastal communities through art and joined the call to defend the threatened 15-kilometer municipal waters. They framed the issue not just as fishing territory but as a fight for survival, dignity, and food security. 

The “#AtinAngKinse” campaign, also known as Atin ang Kinse or Kinse Kilometro, Atin ’To! (“The 15 kilometers are ours!”), is a nationwide movement led by small-scale municipal fisherfolk in the Philippines.

Supported by nongovernment organizations, academic institutions, scientists, and faith-based groups, the campaign aims to protect the 15-kilometer municipal waters reserved under the Fisheries Code (Republic Act No. 8550, as amended by RA 10654) for the exclusive use of artisanal fishers. 

It calls for the enforcement of these protections amid growing threats from commercial fishing operations. 

The Kikik Kollektive believes that the art market, organized by SM Supermalls on all its branches nationwide, serves as a platform to underscore the cultural, ecological, and economic importance of seaside communities. 

Wielding art in a nonconfrontational approach, the group aims to raise the voices of fisherfolk and public awareness about food security, marine sustainability, and the daily realities of Filipinos whose lives and survival depend on the sea’s abundance. 

Exhibition concept 

Each of the 14 artists—Matmat Abela, Louise Banabatac, Kristian Barniego, Khian Barniego, Christian Barrido, Leovic Baticbatic, Emman Belga, Margaux Blas, Ken Cadenas, Clarence Ceriola, Charles Franco, Red Haraya, Julliana Pudadera, and Zippy Saint Thomas—presented a series of five small, individual paintings that convey personal memories and encounters with the sea.

The concept was rooted in a student research and fieldwork conducted by Julliana Pudadera for her Political Science and Public Administration course in Barangay Santiago, Barotac Viejo, Iloilo. There, she witnessed firsthand the poverty and daily struggles of fisherfolk families living along the coastline. 

“I heard about the #AtinAngKinse campaign, but I hadn’t fully immersed myself in the issue even before my graduation last June,” said Pudadera. “I felt it was too big for me to grasp, until the opportunity for an exhibition presented itself.” 

She added: “Art for Everyone 2025 gave me and my fellow artists a chance to revisit the issue and reflect on our personal and shared experiences with the sea.” 

According to Pudadera, these reflections helped shape the overall theme and narrative of the group as an exhibitor in this year’s art market. 

Moreover, Pudadera emphasized their intention was to create a collection where they can enjoin everyone to have an understanding of the issues that affect the Filipinos regardless of age, gender, or status in society—a work of art that is socially-relevant with the times and consistent with the exhibition’s desire—an art for everyone. 

Visual collage  

Arranged across four central panels at the center of the exhibition floor, the artwork forms a visual collage in layered shades of blue—from turquoise to ultramarine—evoking the colors of the ocean.  

From a distance, it draws viewers in; up close, the distinct details of each piece—totalling to 75 small pieces—come into focus.  

The curation offers a collective reflection on marine life and coastal experiences, linking the personal with the political and the individual with the collective—ultimately presenting a unified visual statement that calls for localized support for the #AtinAngKinse campaign.  

Art for Everyone 2025 in Iloilo City is participated by more than 100 Ilonggo artists and with more than 500 pieces on show and sale. It will run until July 31, 2025.