Art House’s LAKBAY series is now on its second iteration with a celebration of artist Christina “Ling” Quisumbing Ramilio’s artistic journey. In Through Visual Poetries, Quisumbing explores the Filipino diaspora experience—the longing, sense of displacement, and search for identity and expression.
LAKBAY began last year with the belief that the Filipino diaspora is home to many talented artists. Guided by this ethos, the series provides artists in the diaspora with a platform to showcase their works in their motherland. In Ling’s collection, her artistic range is highlighted through her work that spans various locations, from New York to the Philippines, and numerous decades, from the 1980s to the present.
Committed to fostering cultural exchange, conversation, and community engagement, the annual show will shine the light on 9 global Filipino artists: ALLDEFS (UAE), Katrina Bello (US), Kim Cruz (US), Joseph Gabriel (UK), Rasco Jugarap (BE), Kulay Labitingan (UK), Angela Silva (US), and Pinky Ibarra Urmaza (US). All of which will respond to Ling’s works through art.
Ling took up an undergraduate degree at the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines, with a focus on editorial design. During the 1980s, she relocated to New York City to pursue a Master’s Degree in Studio Arts and Art Education.
From working at a bronze foundry to being a full-time page supervisor at the Frick Art Reference Library in New York, Ling explored various jobs during this time. While she also did part-time jobs in various art galleries and art supply stores, she dedicated her weekends to her art.
New York in the 1980s was the epicenter and home of contemporary art legends. Spurred by the AIDS crisis, it was also the height of the queer revolution and activism. “By the mid-80s and late 90s, I was out and proud,” Ling declares. She connected with a community of like-minded individuals practicing various and creative disciplines, such as writers and filmmakers.
“I’m easily influenced by things that I see and things that I experience. I’ve traveled a lot. I was in New York; I traveled Europe thoroughly; and then I was based here in Manila. I just love to travel, so I traveled [to] Asia as well, and also parts of the Philippines. So, for each place that I go to, it stays with me, and it manifests in my works,” Ling shares.
Beyond New York, Ling did art residencies in Jogjakarta in Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and Taitung in Taiwan. She finally decided to set up based in the motherland in her 40s. In LAKBAY, Ling brings her experiences abroad back home.
Ling sees her art as pages of an autobiography. A series of drawings called Roadtrip chronicles a two-month-long trip across the United States with her then-girlfriend. “I did the road trip prior to 9-11. I used to be based in New York. I lived in New York for twenty-three years. So, I did a two-month [cross-country road trip], and I took a lot of photographs. Ten years later, I went through the photographs, and then I created a series based on those images. Then, I attached lines,” Ling recalls.
The series includes works such as Eager to see love in my lover’s eyes, I’d like to love you without feeling like I’m betraying the Universe, and In firelit songs I burn now. Instead of focusing on major landmarks like the Grand Canyon or recognizable landmarks, Ling captured on-the-road images and scenic routes through graphite on paper.
Her experiences with love and life inspired the poetry attached to the drawings. “I think it’s very human. I think the commonality of all the diverse works [is the fact that] may hugot siya. Everyone can relate to that experience about loss, about love, or the lack of love, or just joy in life, journeys,” Ling expresses.
Ling utilized a lot of recycled and repurposed materials in her works. In Miyawaki, for instance, the wooden materials used for the project were the wood pieces that weren’t affected by the termites that affected her studio. She repurposed the materials that could be salvaged from her infested studio, turning them into a library made of wood.
“We have a lot of shared values between the platform and the artist. Art House, one of its missions, is to present sustainable art. Ling actually uses these discarded and repurposed materials, [which] throughout her career and experiences give the artworks new life,” expresses Art House Founder Carlo Pineda.
In Screwpulous (used screwdrivers on wood) and Painting (used paint brushes on painted wood), Ling utilized objects that she often uses in her artworks. “I generally like tools, carpentry tools, because I use a lot of them in my work, because I do assemblage works. I find beauty in the wear and tear of those objects because they have history. They have stories. Instead of just an object, they’re the highlight of the works,” she explains.
“It’s not just looking for people to look at these works as new things or new ways to express [yourself]. But, it is also looking at old things and how you can repurpose or breathe new life into [them]. Each of her pieces and each of the materials that she uses have their own story. So I think that in itself is something very important and something quite significant [in] her works,” Constantino says.
Furthermore, in Mukahang Pera, Ling used discontinued shredded currency, sorted by denomination, to create a collage of a giant old hundred-peso bill. In place of the oval shape seen on the bill, she set a mirror. This acts as a political commentary on money-hungry people. “When you look at it, mukha kang pera. It’s just putting fun and humor,” she describes.
“Part of the reason why I also selected [‘Mukhang Pera’] is because she made that in 2010, but it’s still super relevant up to now. So that specific work is also very timeless,” adds exhibit curator Marika Constantino.
As an artist, Ling also draws inspiration from architecture. “My works are influenced by architecture because I love architecture. When I was younger, I wanted to be an architect,” she recounts.
From Zigzag Madre (wooden sculpture) to Bati/Galit (a wooden bench), a lot of Ling’s works are structural. For her Tatay chair, she was influenced by the Art Deco architecture of New York, a place Ling called home for twenty-three years.
Meanwhile, Work in progress is Ling’s take on a portrait—a wooden art piece that takes on an architectural form. As an interactive piece, it calls on the audience to go inside the wooden frames. Once they are inside, it signifies that one is a work in progress as well.
“I think I’d like people to have their eyes open to new things because these are not your normal artworks. I think they can get something [from] each of the works. Not just mine, but from other people’s perspectives of my works [from] the 8 other artists based abroad,” Ling states.
LAKBAY: Through Visual Poetries with Ling Quisumbing will run from January 30 to February 1, 2026, at the Mezzanine of Discovery Primea. For more information, visit their website at https://arthouseph.com/.
Photographs by Excel Panlaque
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