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Clarisse Abelarde
Contemporary Artist · Los Angeles
About the Artist
Clarisse Abelarde
b. Philippines · Based in Los Angeles, CA
Clarisse Abelarde is a Filipino-American contemporary artist whose work dissects the fragmentation of identity in the modern age. Born in the Philippines and transplanted to California, her practice is rooted in the dissonance of displacement—the feeling of being a ghost in two worlds.
Her large-scale oil paintings are visceral explorations of the self, channeling the unflinching flesh of Lucian Freud, the provocative psychological charge of Lisa Yuskavage, and the raw nervous energy of Egon Schiele. Yet, her voice is distinctly her own—a synthesis of classical technique and contemporary anxiety.
Abelarde does not paint to please; she paints to excavate. Her figures are often distorted, caught in moments of transformation or decay, reflecting the internal battles that define the human condition.
"I exist to give the void a body. To arrest the fleeting, violent beauty of the self before it dissolves."— Clarisse Abelarde
Artistic Lineage
Lucian Freud
The brutal honesty of flesh. Freud taught that the body is a landscape of truth—every fold, every sag, every imperfection is a confession.
Lisa Yuskavage
The unapologetic feminine. Yuskavage’s psychologically charged figures gave permission to explore the uncomfortable territories of female identity without apology.
Egon Schiele
The nervous line. Schiele’s contorted figures and raw emotional exposure remain a touchstone—proof that beauty can emerge from discomfort.
Education
- BFA, Fine Arts in Drawing and PaintingCalifornia State University, Long BeachAug 2020–Dec 2022
- AA Transfer ×4 (Arts General, Studio Arts, Art History, Liberal Arts)Los Angeles City CollegeJan 2017–Jul 2020
- Sociology (Some College)University of California, RiversideSep 2014–Jun 2016
Solo Exhibitions
- 2024A Fort Held Together by Spit and PrayersArts at Blue Roof, Los Angeles, CA
- 2024Virtual VisionsLAUNCH LA, Los Angeles, CA
- 2024Digital DissonanceEuropa Gallery, Seattle, WA
- 2023Quinn Emanuel Artist-in-ResidenceQuinn Emanuel, Los Angeles, CA
- 2022RadiateMax L. Gatov West Gallery, Long Beach, CA
- 2022Under-RepresentedLA Art Box, Los Angeles, CA
Group Exhibitions
- 2025Gathered at the WellSabatikkal, Santa Monica, CA
- 2025What's my ThesisOCC Doyle, Orange, CA
- 2025No Parking Any TimeRod Briggs Gallery, Long Beach, CA
- 2024Studio SystemTorrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
- 2023GesturesLa Mecha Contemporary, El Paso, TX
- 2023Flat FileSYNT Art Auction, New York, NY
- 2023(ART)FCTSRtfcts Studios, Los Angeles, CA
- 2023Human: A Creative ExpositionEndwhile Global, Los Angeles, CA
- 2023DemasiadoSuperchief LA & Tlaloc, Los Angeles, CA
- 2023Under The Same SunGatov East Gallery, Long Beach, CA
- 2023Sexiest Artists Group ShowWerby Gallery, Long Beach, CA
- 2022One Story's Not EnoughFace a Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
- 2022FragmentsWerby Gallery, Long Beach, CA
- 2022Tambayan Vol 2Residency Art Gallery, Inglewood, CA
- 2022CyclesStay Gallery, Downey, CA
- 2022Individuelleiamjuliakim Projects, Los Angeles, CA
- 2022A Nude DayMax L. Gatov West, Long Beach, CA
- 2022DejectedMax L. Gatov East, Long Beach, CA
- 2022Unheard VoicesNous-Ance, Fullerton, CA
- 2022TambayanLACC VAMA, Los Angeles, CA
- 2022FluxMax L. Gatov Gallery West, Long Beach, CA
- 2021Identity in the Digital AgeNous-Ance, Los Angeles, CA
- 2021NextGen LADurden and Ray, Los Angeles, CA
- 2019A Moment's TimeLACC Student Union Building, Los Angeles, CA
- 2019Abstract Lover Art ExhibitionLos Angeles, CA
- 2019Women's MonthLACC Student Union Building, Los Angeles, CA
Curating (Nous-Ance)
- 2024Tide Pools
- 2023Metamorphosis
- 2022Unheard Voices
- 2021Identity in the Digital Age
Honors & Awards
- 2024Studio SystemTorrance Art Museum
- 2024Artist-in-ResidenceCentrum
- 2024Artist-in-ResidenceArts at Blue Roof
- 2024Artist-in-ResidenceArts Letters & Numbers
- 2022Artist-in-ResidenceQuinn Emanuel
- 2021President's Honor ListCal State Long Beach
- 2020Dean's Honor ListLos Angeles City College
- 2014Honors StudentUCLA Community School
- 2012Participation AwardLos Angeles Congressional Art Competition
Publications
- 2024Art by ArtistsInterview
- 2023Art and Cake LAFeature
- 2022HyperallergicA View from the Easel, 205th installment
- 2022Quinn EmanuelArtist in Residence
- 2021CSULB School of ArtPrimary Magazine, Volume 1
- 2021City of LA Dept of Cultural AffairsLGBT Heritage Month Calendar and Cultural Guide
Organizations
- 2022CSULB Drawing and Painting ClubSunday Model Sessions
- 2021Nous-AnceFounder
- 2021Los Feliz Life Drawing WorkshopMember
- 2017The Los Angeles Figure Drawing GroupMember
Contact
Inside the Studio
Where chaos becomes composition
The studio is both sanctuary and battlefield. Large canvases lean against walls, some abandoned mid-stroke, others waiting for their first mark. The smell of linseed oil and turpentine permeates everything. Here, in the controlled chaos, the work emerges—not planned, but excavated.
The Process
From impulse to artifact
Excavation
Each piece begins with an emotional excavation—a feeling, a memory, a fragment of identity that demands expression. I don’t sketch; I confront the canvas directly.
Layering
Oil paint is applied in aggressive layers, building texture and depth. The figure emerges through addition and subtraction, revealing itself through the process of destruction and reconstruction.
Resolution
The work is complete when it holds tension—when it refuses to be comfortable. The final piece should feel like a mirror that shows you something you didn’t want to see.
The Journey
Milestones along the way
Emergence: Solo Exhibition
First major solo exhibition featuring 20 new works exploring displacement and identity
Los Angeles, CA
Featured in Artforum
"A voice that refuses to be silenced" - critical recognition of figurative work
Collected by Private Foundation
Three major works acquired for permanent collection
New York, NY
Group Show: Bodies in Transit
International group exhibition exploring migration and embodiment
Berlin, Germany
Emerging Artist Grant
Recipient of the California Arts Council emerging artist fellowship
Studio Established
Permanent studio space established in Los Angeles arts district
Los Angeles, CA
MFA Thesis Exhibition
"Ghost in Two Worlds" - thesis work on Filipino-American identity
First Collector Acquisition
Inaugural sale to private collector - the beginning of the journey
Press & Features
In the media
Interview
Feature
A View from the Easel, 205th installment
Artist in Residence
Primary Magazine, Volume 1
LGBT Heritage Month Calendar
What Collectors Say
The work finds its way to those who need it most.
"Her work doesn't let you look away. It demands you see yourself in it, even the parts you'd rather not acknowledge."
"The first time I saw 'Vessels of Becoming,' I stood there for twenty minutes. I couldn't leave. Now it lives in my home."
"Clarisse captures something about the immigrant experience that I've never seen articulated in paint before. It's visceral."
"Watching her career unfold has been extraordinary. We acquired early and haven't regretted it for a moment."
In the Press
"A voice that refuses to be silenced—Abelarde's figurative work confronts identity with unflinching honesty."
"Among the most compelling emerging voices in contemporary figurative painting."
"Her canvases pulse with the tension of existing between worlds."