ABOUT MARBELLA

I am a queer, first-generation immigrant born in the Philippines, raised in Alberta, and now based in Montreal, and my work uses interdisciplinary approaches that merge creative arts therapies, performance, and social justice to amplify the voices of marginalized communities, particularly QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Colour).

Currently, I am a PhD student at Concordia University in the Individualized Program in Fine Arts where my research looks at the healing and liberatory properties of neo-burlesque for queer and racialized communities in Canada.

I hold degrees in Visual Arts (BFA), Social Justice–Focused Arts Education(BEd), and Creative Arts Therapies (MA), and my research has focused on the experiences of racialized clients in art therapy spaces. Since 2020, I’ve run a private practice as an art therapist and mental health counsellor grounded in anti-oppressive, sex-positive, and decolonial values.

As an artist, I perform as my neo-burlesque alter ego, Joy Rider, using performance to challenge stereotypes, reclaim sensuality, and explore cultural identity. My work has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, LA SERRE Arts vivants, the Burlesque Hall of Fame, MAI – Montréal Arts Interculturels, Tangente, CanAsian Dance, and Festival AccesAsie.