I’m a Bronx-based artist who was born in the Philippines, raised in New York, and have travelled Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa for most of my adult life, having lived in many of these places including going back to the Philippines, in search of belonging. My sojourns have taught me that my search was really that of inclusion, a longing so complicated and vulnerable because it entailed ceding power to those who I thought could let me in. However, I know that this is not entirely a unique experience for someone who is more often than not othered — New Yorker, Filipino, woman, queer. There are many like me in our society; we are plenty. After having moved back to New York City for good, I have worked to form a community by connecting with others through our creative endeavors in the form of conversations, exchange of ideas, and collaboration. Using a multidisciplinary approach, I capture my experience with the awareness that my lineage carries not only my bloodlines but also narratives of colonialism, migration, poverty, misogyny, injustice, racism, and trauma. My art is testament to the lessons I’ve learned about myself and the world, the journey of which was often arduous but also life-affirming.
You may reach me through my Instagram account @mbismonte or by email at mbismonte@gmail.com.
LIST OF PUBLISHED WORKS
POETRY
“Notes from Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina: In the Office for the Lost”, “Notes from Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina: On The Street of Broken Youth”, Philippine Graphic Magazine (Manila). February 2011. Print.
“A Certain Necessity”, “Bicol Express, Manhattan Stop”, “gravity”, “Now”, “Santiguar.” Crowns and Oranges: Works by Young Philippine Poets. Bautista, Cirilo F. and Ishikawa, Ken, Eds. Manila: Anvil, 2009.
“war, 1993.” Honoring Fathers: An International Poetry Collection. Abad, Gemino and Yuson, Alfredo A., Eds. Manila: University of the Philippines Press, 2005.
“conversations”, “illumination: blue.” Marianas Variety (Saipan), February 2005. Print.
ESSAYS/ARTICLES
“Trekking in Chiang Mai.” Daily Tribune (Philippines), 28 April 2004. Print.
“Empowering One, Empowering Many,” Queue! Magazine (Philippines), December 2009 Issue. Print
PHOTOGRAPHY
Contributed to Himig at Titik: A Tribute to OPM Songwriters, Arceo-Dumlao, Tina, Philippine Daily Inquirer Publication, Philippines, 2021. Print and E-book.
EXHIBITIONS
Documentary Photography, Philippine Center for Creative Imaging (PCCI), October 2011, Manila, Philippines.
Emergency: 12 Days of Covid (Video)
CRACovid(a) Works and Projects by the Centro in Romagna Ricerca Arte Contemporanea (CRAC), http://cracarte.it/?page_id=2790, Rome, Italy
QUARANTS.ARTS Livestream Exhibition: 48 Hours of Resistance, 1 May – 3 May 2020, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVA7rq8PQOQu0zjaFsP0z9g/videos , Paris, France
NEWMEDIAFEST 2020: The 365 Day Diary, The 1st Corona Festival, Video included in the Corona? Shutdown! segment presented by Torrance Art Museum’s Dark Room Online http://www.torranceartmuseum.com/darkroomonline, Los Angeles, CA