Maria Dumlao

Maria Dumlao is a visual artist born in the Philippines who has called Philadelphia home for decades. She creates photographs, videos, and installations that layer history, mythology, and pop culture to tell stories that often get left out of the official record—especially Filipino stories. Her work invites you to look twice. Colors shift, images overlap, and familiar things appear in unexpected places. She wants us to question what we think we know about history and who gets to tell it. Dumlao studied art at Rutgers University and Hunter College, and she teaches art at Bucks County Community College. Her work has been shown in museums and galleries around the world, and right here in Philadelphia, the city she calls home.