These Filipino Artists Create a Symphony of Stories from the Filipino Elsewhere
When an artist leaves their birthplace, their home follows them. Oftentimes, it’s unintentional. But in LAKBAY 2026: Through Visual Poetries with Christina Quisumbing, this invisible inheritance is brought into the light. Once the Art House launches its second chapter on January 30, the Mezzanine of Discovery Primea will become a temporary sanctuary for a collection that explores how the Filipino identity thrives, no matter how far it travels from the islands.
Christina Quisumbing Ramilo
The exhibition is centered on the work of Christina ‘Ling’ Quisumbing Ramilo. After two decades in the relentless current of New York, Ramilo returned to Manila to pursue art full-time. Her assemblage pieces act as the heart of the show. She provides the visual poetry that the other eight artists, scattered across the globe, respond to like a conversation across time zones.
Kim Cruz
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One such response comes from Kim Cruz, who translates the human form through the fluid depth of Sumi ink. At only 25, her trajectory from Manila to the Tokyo Tower Art Fair has been defined by a commitment to the female figure. Beyond the canvas, she channels her creative energy into the Kalma Art Foundation.
Pinky Ibarra Urmaza
In the hands of New York-based Pinky Ibarra Urmaza, the forgotten becomes foundational. She is a hunter of history, scouring flea markets for the artifacts of strangers—usually vintage books or faded photographs. By tearing, burning, and painting over these relics, she reconstructs childhood memories.
Angela Silva
Working from the San Francisco Bay Area, Angela Silva utilizes the cyanotype process to capture camera-less memories in shades of deep blue. Through her pieces, heritage is memorialized in monochrome.
Katrina Bello
Nature serves as the primary witness for Katrina Bello. Since moving to the United States, her practice has become a meditation on the environments she moves through. Her work, backed by years of formal study at Rutgers and the Maryland Institute College of Art, documents the physical landscapes of immigration.
Kulay Labitigan
From his base in London, Kulay Labitigan describes himself as a creative talesmith. His practice is a multidisciplinary exploration of the fictional worlds we build to survive the real one. A graduate of both UP Diliman and Central Saint Martins, his pieces playfully question the very concept of belonging.
Racso Jugarap
The tactile nature of the exhibit is heightened by Racso Jugarap. Having grown up in his father’s jewelry workshop, the Filipino-Belgian artist treats wire with the intimacy of a second language. Now a finalist for the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, Jugarap creates sculptures that possess an organic, almost living quality.
Mark Barretto
ALLDEFS/Mark Barretto brings the grit and geometry of the urban landscape into the dialogue. A veteran of the Philippine street art scene now based in Dubai, his influence is seen everywhere from eight-story murals to collaborations with Adidas. His work reflects the complex reality of migrant life.
Joseph Gabriel
Finally, Joseph Gabriel looks toward the chemistry of the craft itself. A Royal College of Art graduate, his art focuses on how materials like glass and ceramics react under pressure. His pieces are visually delicate for a reason, as they are metaphors of the transformative experience of adapting to a new world.
LAKBAY 2026: Through Visual Poetries with Christina Quisumbing Ramilo runs from January 30 to February 1, 2026, at the Mezzanine of Discovery Primea. For the full schedule of artist-led workshops and more information, visit arthouseph.com.
Photos courtesy of THE ART HOUSE
The post These Filipino Artists Create a Symphony of Stories from the Filipino Elsewhere first appeared on MEGA.
These Filipino Artists Create a Symphony of Stories from the Filipino Elsewhere
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