Macy (they/them) is a non-binary Filipino photographer, organizer, public speaker, & curator. They focus on advocating for psychology, mental health, social justice, and education in the work they do.
Passionate about human beings, identity, vulnerability, and the mind, Macy calls themselves a “student for life”, consistently challenging the relationship between our external world with our internal one. With an early exposure to students with mental exceptionalities such as autism & down syndrome, Macy advocates for creating a more kind & empathic world through multi-media storytelling & research. They study how factors such as cultural movements, generational trauma, & societal norms affect the inner workings of our mind. In turn, they hope to share how humans are active agents that turn those factors over to the next generation & how important it is for one to break stigma in order to create more sustainable futures.
They run and founded a Philippine based non-profit, Talang Dalisay alongside its special project based organization, Bayan Kinaadman. They are the head curator & organizer of Worlds Through Minds, which is a people funded photography gallery and photo publication house which takes place around the world.
To date, they have organized & hosted over 50 community events online & in-person, given over 100 keynote speeches, written & copy edited over 30 articles, and worked & collaborated with around 200 non-profits/movements/individuals for their cause & passion.
Languages: Tagalog, Mandarin, Spanish, & English
Education + Art Residencies + Workshops
Double B.A. Psychology & International Relations from the University of California, Davis (Fall 2019 to Spring 2022) Davis, Northern California
Full Time Documentary Practice & Visual Journalism Program Director’s Fellow at the International Center of Photography (August 2023 to May 2024) Lower East Side, New York City
Studio Kura Artist In Residence, Itoshima, Japan (2024)
Picture Berlin Photography Residency & Berlin Art Week Project Showcase (2024)
25th Angkor Photo Workshops, Siem Reap, Cambodia (2025)
Youth Empowerment, Leadership, & Advocacy
Founder of Philippine based youth-led mental health non-profit, Talang Dalisay and special project space Bayan Kinaadman
Art, Curation, & Creative Direction
Co-Curator & Co-Founder of mental health & culture focused independent art exhibit & community, Worlds Through Minds
Psychology Research
University of California, Berkeley - Miller Lab (2022)
Stanford University Department of Psychology (2023)
Curated Gallery Shows (via Worlds Through Minds)
The Worlds Through Minds Show at the University of California, Davis with the University of California Regent Grant (June 2022)
Worlds Through Minds California Re-Show at the Brooklyn Film Camera (June 2023)
The Gift of Words Gallery Show at VERCI NYC, co-presented with Worlds Through Minds (November 2023)
The Sun Never Sets at TBD Gallery NYC, presented by Worlds Through Minds (June 2024)
Form Follows Freedom Gallery Show presented by Foto Baryo Philippines, Shutterspace Studios Philippines, & Worlds Through Minds (August 2024)
Featured Exhibitions
Fordham University Group Show at St. Paul the Apostle Church, May 2023, Upper West Side, New York
Kasama Creative Space & Have You Eaten AANHPI Group Show, May 2023, Seattle Washington
The International Center of Photography, Shared Spaces Exhibtion, May to September 2024, Lower East Side, New York
Studio Kura August 2024 Residency Group Show, August 2024, Itoshima-Fukuoka, Japan
Worlds Through Minds, Foto Baryo, & Shutterspace Studios Show Form Follows Freedom, August 2024, Manila, Philippines
Picture Berlin at Berlin Art Week Group Show, Transportals Exhibition at WIRWIR, September 2024, Berlin, Germany
Foto Moto Philippines, iLand at the Ayala Museum, February 2025, Manila, Philippines
Art Fair Philippines, Triangulum Gallery Space, February 2025, Manila, Philippines
Contact
macy@td-msom.org
209.362.9299