Artist Statement:

Kukua comes from an artistic background and pursued her love of drawing and painting by taking an Art and Design NVQ, which was quickly followed by a BTech National Diploma (Fashion Design) and culminated in a BA in Fashion Design (Knitwear) at the renowned Central Saint Martins, London. Upon graduating, Equa worked as a design assistant in East London until June 2004.

It was during her college years that her talent for illustration was cultivated, and by combining this with her love of fashion, and brings to her canvas stunning figures full of vitality, attitude and passion. She has taken her formidable talent into the public arena, displaying her canvases in small galleries around London and selling private commissions. As well as commission for Disordermagazine and fashionline magazine.

Her inspiration is derived from a myriad of sources; from the pulp American comics and Japanese Manga through to the work of Vargas, McGinnis, Barbier, Klint and Mucha. And also absorbs from those around her. Their clothes, postures and behaviour provide a fertile breeding ground for her unique work.

She uses various materials to create her pieces. The illustrations are worked with drawing pencils, watercolours, permanent markers, pantone felts, acrylic paint, and inks. She has also begun to explore a digital element to her art that she hopes to marry to other sides of media.

Kukua’s warmth and humour are squarely projected into her ‘girls’, never failing to elicit an immediate emotional response from the viewer. Here is a talent that is and will continue to grow in her style and personal experience.