I am a Filipino American photographer based in Brooklyn, New York City, a member of Indigenous Photograph, and the staff photographer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, where I am documenting the prestigious institution's push towards greater accessibility and diversity in the arts.
I also run an award winning commercial studio with my wife, Sarah, and our two Siamese-Maine Coon cats, Miko and Oliver.
My personal documentary work reckons with my inculcation into and resistance against various colonial and prevailing systems of power. They highlight the tension between my varying identities and roles while also instilling a profound interest in the dynamics of other cultures.
I am a recent 2022 recipient of Duke University's Archive of Documentary Arts Collections Award and a corresponding solo exhibition of my work was shown until April 2023 at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
My work for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts was awarded at American Photography 39 honoring the best photography of 2022 in a hardcover book.
For an extended Artist Statement & CV, please scroll down.
Inquiries: info@lsumulong.com
Profile photo: Two generations of Grinnell College alumni - Herbie Hancock and I backstage at the "Celebrating Chick Corea" concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center, 2022. Thank you to Jason Olaine for the snapshot.
Lawrence Sumulong
(b.1987, Secaucus, NJ, USA)
Based in Brooklyn, NY, USA
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
The Brooklyn Museum Library
Duke University - Archive of Documentary Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
The Museum of Modern Art Library (MoMA)
University of Arkansas - Special Collections
COMMERCIAL CLIENTS
A&E, Ambush, American Express, AT&T, Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Carnegie Hall, Chelsea Factory, Dentsu: Merkle, Edelman, KIA, The Kingdom of Thailand, The High Line, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, LiveX, Momentum Worldwide, The City of New York - Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, New York Philharmonic, Phaidon Press, Reese’s Puffs, RDM, Rockwell Group, The Shed, Sony Music Entertainment, TED, United Nations, Verizon, Vogue, Willie Mae Rock Camp
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Carlo Maghirang Reimagines Philippine Folklore for the Lincoln Center | Vogue Philippines
On The Journey of Healing | Vogue Philippines
A Proposed State | The Washington Post
No longer can I stay; it's true. | The Washington Post
Dead to Rights | The New York Times
Manila Gothic | Fisheye Magazine
Burying the Lead | The Sydney Morning Herald
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
No Longer Can I Stay; It’s True | Curator: Caitlin Margaret Kelly | Rubenstein Library Photography Gallery - Duke University, North Carolina (2022)
En Foco Resistance for Freedom | Curator: Kay Hickman | Hamilton Landmark Galleries, Manhattan, New York (2022)
Men of Change | Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, United States (2019 - 2023)
Promenades photographiques de Vendôme: Extrême-Orient | Curator: Stephane Damant | Manège Rochambeau, Vendôme, France (2020)
Not Visual Noise | Curator: Angel Velasco Shaw | Ateneo Art Gallery, Manila, Philippines (2019)
Gwangju Biennale | Curator: Clara Kim, Tate Modern | Gwangju Biennale Exhibition Hall and Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, South Korea (2018)
En Foco New Works Photography Fellowship | Curator: Leenda Bonilla | Gulf and Western Gallery, Manhattan, New York (2016)
Head On Photo Festival | aMBUSH Gallery: Project Space, Sydney, Australia (2016)
Traces - Contemporary Filipino Photography | Finale Art File, Manila, Philippines (2015)
From the Prison House | Curator: Tiffany Johnson Bidler | Moreau Center for the Arts - St. Mary's College, Indiana (2013)
Urban Legend | Curator: Patrick Flores | The Jorge B. Vargas Museum & Filipiniana Research Center, Manila, Philippines (2012)
Levee | Smith Gallery, Joe Rosenfield Center, Grinnell College, Iowa (2010)
AWARDS & HONORS
Communication Arts: Photography | Shortlist (2024)
American Photography: AP39 | Winner - Chosen (2024)
American Photography: AP39 | Winner - Selected (2023)
Archive of Documentary Arts Collection Awards | Winner (2022)
American Photography: AP38 | Winner - Chosen (2022)
American Photography: AP37 | Winner - Chosen (2021)
American Photography: AP35 | Winner - Chosen (2019)
World Press Photo Foundation: Joop Swart Masterclass | Nominee (2017, 2019)
The Magenta Foundation: Flash Forward Award | Winner (2019)
Lucie Foundation: Fine Arts Scholarship | Finalist (2018)
En Foco Fellowship | Winner (2016)
Foundation of Contemporary Arts | Grantee (2016)
The Pollination Project | Grantee - Impact Project Grant (2016)
Lucie Foundation: Emerging Artist Award | Finalist (2016)
Sony World Photography Awards | Finalist (2016)
LECTURES & PRESENTATIONS
Retrograde - Fotomoto 22 "HOME" | Parola: University of the Philippines Fine Arts Gallery, Manila, Philippines (2022)
Imagining Asian Pacific America: Storytelling In Contemporary Literary, Media & Visual Arts | Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey (2022)
Art Libraries Society of North America - 50th Annual Conference | Chicago, Illinois (2022)
COLLABORATIONS
Mana Photo x WIP with Simeon Marsalis | Mana Contemporary, Jersey City, New Jersey (2019)
Visiting Author Talk: Simeon Marsalis | Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center, Fashion Institute of Technology, Manhattan, New York (2019)
SITE SPECIFIC COMMISSIONS
BYOPaper! - Rencontres d’Arles | Arles, France (2017)