Ivy Marie Apa

Ivy Marie Apa is a practicing artist and academic, holding a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts majoring in Painting and a master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of San Carlos, Cebu, Philippines. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor in art history and studio arts at the University of the Philippines Cebu, Ivy is also the Archive Officer of the Regional Art Forum + Community Art Archive (RAF+CAA), an independent organization supporting region-based art practices. Notably, she is a Regional Winner of the Philippine Art Awards 2020 and an Honor Award Grantee for the Regional Art Forum in the Austronesian International Arts Award 2018.

Ivy’s art practice and academic focus are rooted in the anthropology of art. Viewing art as a form of seeing, she extends this perspective beyond visual interrogation, exploring how humans engage with the world. Her work delves into the fetishisms present in visual and textual representations, examining their connection to enduring traditions, particularly the Greco-Judeo-Christian tradition. Using watercolors, acrylics, and colored pencils, Ivy creates intricate pieces on various surfaces like found parchments, commercial paper bags, the Bible, and newsprints. Her art serves as anthropological sketches, capturing the multifaceted dimensions of the Anthropos—the human being.