Rita Ip (a.k.a 古惑貓) is an illustrator and a musician residing in Hong Kong. She studied advertising art direction in Toronto, Canada and she won a several creative advertising awards. After her graduation with a degree in Communication & Design, she came to Hong Kong, her home town, to start off her exciting career in the creative business.
Illustration & Design
After spending some years as an art director in design houses and ad agencies, Rita started freelancing, expanding her horizons by taking jobs from different countries. In 2006, as she was doing an illustration for the CD cover of her own music duo "LAZY:MODE", she found herself in love with illustrations and decided to steer her career towards a different direction, she then became a full time illustrator.
Rita is a member of Hong Kong Society of Illustrators (HKSI).
Awards and achievements
- guest speaker at Hong Kong Design Institute
- guest illustrator for a red-packets charity sale (「我們愛讀書 2011」), hosted by Peninsula Junior Chamber. The sale has raised over $160,000 for school-less children in Guizhou.
- official guest illustrator at "Jockey Club Early Psychosis Project"(思覺漫遊 - 漫畫創作比賽), 2010
- Excellence Award, Greater China Illustration Awards 2010
- guest speaker at "EDGE", The 9th Creative Media Society Industrial Talk, hosted by City University
- Hon. Secretary of Hong Kong Society of Illustrators (2008-2009)
- jury in the drawing contest "Little Artists, Big Dreams" (小畫家 大夢想), organised by UNICEF
- Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (台北金馬電影節) - "Day Dreaming" (白日夢) MV (performed and animated by Rita) was being presented at one of the side events, and was shown in 7 different venues at 西門町
- Fairchild Radio - Creative Radio commercial award
- CCAMMA - Canadian Chinese advertising award
- Longxi Advertising Award - International Chinese advertising award
Exhibitions
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"Memories of Nature", commissioned by Urban Renewal Authority, is an open exhibition of hand-painted murals that takes you back to 600,000,000 years ago. Rita took part in the dinosaur paintings :)
- Lane Crawford home store (Pacific Place) displays 5 pieces of paintings by Rita. Thanks to HATCH.HK
- "DISTRICT. WITH YOU AND ME" Exhibition, a celebration of the 110th Anniversary of YMCA.
- "ITCHY ART" Exhibition by HAJI x HATCH.HK
- "THINK CHIC" Paper Clutch Bags Exhibition by Antalis.
- "Art Idol" at Hong Kong Animation and Comic Fair 2010.
- "Jockey Club Early Psychosis Project" Exhibition.
- "Selected Works from INSOMANIA" was featured at "Art Corner", an online exhibition organised by HKSI.
- "MW" exhibition, a tribute to 手塚治虫 (Tezuka Osamu), organised by Sundreams Motion Pictures
- "U and I" exhibition, organised by Hong Kong Society of Illustators.
- "Art Idol" at Hong Kong Animation and Comic Fair 2009.
- "Conquering the Earth with Love" paper sculpture exhibition, organised by Antalis, 2009.
- "Art Idol" at Guangzhou Animation and Comic Fair and Hong Kong Animation and Comic Fair, 2008.
- "Love Panda, Love Each Other" online exhibition (for Sichuan Earthquake)
- Chinese Masks exhibition at APM, Hong Kong
- "Pollen Path" - a tribute exhibition to David Sylvian, curated by Chi Chung Wong.
- "插畫蒸品" exhibition at International Printing and Packaging Fair, C01
- DIMENSION 07
- "Mega Boxing Day" at Mega Box, Hong Kong. It was an exhibition featuring 100 giftboxes created by 100 local + overseas designers
Music
As a part-time musician, Rita plays the keyboard in concerts and she does music compositions for exhibitions, designer products and animation. In 2004, she formed "LAZY:MODE", an independent music group with another musician, and released their debut album "我看你 你看我" (Wo Kan Ni, Ni Kan Wo) in 2006. In 2008, Rita started to work as an independent musician. From 2009 -2010, Rita joined Tats Lau's new band "LOVE MISSION". Rita is a member of Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH).
For more information:
http://www.ritaidea.com/rita_music.html