If you look up before entering Naarm (Melbourne)’s upscale Filipino restaurant Askal, you’ll find the logo and branding created by Monica Keeler – a mixed-media illustrator and visual artist of Filipino heritage working across digital illustration, collage, painting and drawing. Seeing her work realised as permanent signage on the streets of her city marked a proud and grounding milestone.

Monica’s cultural roots trace back to Metro Manila, shaped by childhood visits to her parents’ hometowns of San Juan and Marikina. While her family migrated to Australia in the 1980s, the Philippines remain deeply close to her heart – remembered through late-night music, family portraits lining staircases, roosters at dawn and long breakfasts shared under one roof across generations.

Mixed-media illustration is where Monica feels most inspired. Her practice moves between digital illustration layered with photographed and edited collage elements, and traditional work that blends painting and drawing. She has worked across brand illustration for Kariton Sorbetes and designed visual posters for pop-up events, always led by texture, contrast and experimentation.

Monica is passionate about broader representation within Australia’s creative industries, particularly across media. In spaces that can become complacent and overly comfortable, she believes diverse perspectives are essential – shaping richer stories and producing work that feels more honest, layered and compelling.