Description

THE STORY

Forbidden Fruit reimagines the age-old tale of temptation, choice, and desire through a surreal lens. A regal white cat and a roaring lion gaze upward at a single pomegranate hanging from a tree, glowing with allure under the night sky. Their postures capture the moment of longing, the tension between restraint and surrender.

The feline figures, dressed with elegance and authority, embody contrasting forces: innocence versus dominance, purity versus passion. The pomegranate, often seen as a symbol of knowledge, temptation, and even immortality, becomes the center of their struggle, echoing humanity’s eternal fascination with what lies just beyond reach.

Through its vivid geometric forms and symbolic contrasts, Forbidden Fruit challenges viewers to reflect on their own desires, choices, and the delicate line between curiosity and consequence.

ARTIST BIO

Eugenia “Gene” Artango-Villasper is a renowned cubist who passionately creates art that sparks hope and emanates beauty. Her signature “Modern Mestiza” Series celebrates different cultures and contemporary Filipino women’s multifaceted nature; exploring themes of whimsical allegory, femininity, abundance, and harvest. Through vibrant cubism, Gene reveals the hidden beauty of the world, emphasising the transformative power of compassion, love, peace, and joy. Gene is the artist and co-founder behind the award-winning Filipino silk scarf brand “ARTÈGENE” – a brand that carries the reverie of the Modern Mestiza, meticulously crafted to empower women to be effortlessly refined.

Her artistic excellence is displayed through her participation at the World Art Dubai 2025, World Art Dubai 2024, XIV Florence Biennale 2023, The Crypt Gallery London 2023, Paris Carrousel Du Louvre 2024, and numerous sold-out exhibitions locally and internationally at prestigious galleries, and art fairs such as International Art Dialogue Exchange (Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, India) by FilArts Gallery, Visayas Art Fair 2023 and the ManilArt 2024. Additionally, Gene was a World Art Dubai Awardee among 10,000 artworks and 400 international participating artists. She graduated with a BFA in Advertising Arts from the University of the East. She is now a proud member of the prestigious Saturday Group of Artists and the Art Association of the Philippines.