Ang Kiu Kok was a leading modernist painter within the Philippines. Coming from a strict Chinese background, it was particularly difficult for Ang to become an artist due to familial pressures to choose a proper career or vocation. Nonetheless Ang perservered, enthusiastically absorbing influences from the modern art movement and fusing this with subject matters close to his heart. He eventually became an acclaimed artist within the Philippines, embraced by the local Chinese community and even invited to exhibit with the Chinese Artists' League in Taiwan as his career began to gain momentum.