About

BIO

Katya Neptune is a Filipina diaspora  (b.1976 Angeles City, Philippines) based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She works as an interdisciplinary artist with a socially engaged practice. Neptune has exhibited her work in various public spaces, including the Museum of Florida Art & Culture, Coral Springs Museum of Art, ArtsWarehouse, Cornell Museum of Art, Mad Arts Museum, Bailey Contemporary Arts, Mifa Gallery, Ali Cultural Arts, and Miami Independent Thinkers during Art Basel.  She has also been featured in various periodicals such as the Highlands Sun Mid Florida Newspaper, Sun Sentinel, Broward Palm Beach New Times, Pelican Newspaper, Pompano Beach Magazine, RiverWalk Fort Lauderdale, and PureHoney Magazine. Neptune’s work is process-oriented, reflective, and introspective. Neptune’s work explores the complexities of mental health. She uses personal and intimate visual narratives to share her struggle and healing to normalize conversations around this topic and to de-stigmatize mental illness. Overall, the heart of her practice is a commitment to authenticity and vulnerability and to serve as an advocate for others.

 In addition to Neptune’s art practice, in 2009, she founded ArtHeart. A non-profit organization that aims to empower artists of all levels to inspire healthful and imaginative growth in her community. As the Creative Director and Chief Curator for ArtHeart, Neptune has curated numerous exhibits in South Florida featuring emerging and established global artists.  In addition, ArtHeart serves as a fundraising mechanism for orphans in Rwanda, Africa, by partnering with We Are Zoe, a non-profit organization that strives to break the cycle of poverty through education initiatives for orphaned children.

Statement

Katya Neptune is an interdisciplinary artist whose work is process-oriented, reflective, and introspective. She explores the complexities of her mental health through a diverse range of media, including mixed-media sculpture, abstract mapping, photography, painting, digital art, and installation. Each medium she employs is carefully, yet often intuitively, selected to reflect her psychological and emotional state. By utilizing personal and intimate visual narratives, Neptune shares her struggle and healing, aiming to normalize conversations around mental health and de-stigmatize mental illness.

Neptune’s work challenges the stereotypes and misunderstandings that often surround mental health by offering a new perspective on what it means to live with a mental health condition. At the core of her practice, she explores the intersections between spirituality, mental health, and cultural influences. By weaving together these elements, Neptune creates a rich tapestry of insights that provide a holistic view of the human experience. Her commitment to authenticity and vulnerability defines her artistic journey. It invites viewers to engage with the nuances of mental health in a deeply personal and meaningful way. It is an advocacy tool inviting audiences to reconsider their relationship with mental health. It encourages discourse around often stigmatized topics to foster empathy and understanding to contribute to a more compassionate and informed society. Neptune aims to challenge prevailing narratives and create space for healing and self-acceptance.