Stephanie Comilang: Rising Star in Global Video Art
By Darren Smith
March 08, 2026
Filipino-Canadian artist and filmmaker Stephanie Comilang has emerged as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary video art, blending documentary realism with speculative futures to explore migration, labor, technology, and postcolonial legacies. Born in Toronto in 1980 and now based between Berlin and Toronto, Comilang graduated from OCAD University and has built an international reputation through her self-described “science-fiction documentaries.”
Her breakthrough came in 2019 when she won the Sobey Art Award, Canada’s most prestigious prize for visual artists under 40, recognizing her innovative narratives on global mobility and cultural displacement. This accolade propelled her into major institutions worldwide.
In recent years, Comilang’s work has gained momentum with high-profile solo exhibitions. Her 2024 presentation “Search for Life” at the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, curated by Chus Martínez in collaboration with TBA21, marked her first major solo in Spain and examined pearl diving histories across the Philippines, Persian Gulf, and China as symbols of labor and possibility. The project continued into 2025 with related showings.
In 2025, Comilang presented her first U.S. institutional solo, “An Apparition, A Song,” at the Center for Art, Research and Alliances (CARA) in New York. The exhibition featured immersive film installations, virtual reality, and textiles that amplified erased perspectives on migratory experiences and intergenerational support.
Key works included:
- “Lumapit Sa Akin, Paraiso (Come to Me, Paradise)” (2018) – A poignant video narrated by a drone spirit observing Filipina migrant workers in Hong Kong reclaiming public space on their days off.
- “Piña, Why is the Sky Blue?” (2022, collaborative with Simon Speiser) – An exploration of pineapple fiber’s colonial histories through VR, film, and embroidered textiles, highlighting feminist labor and matriarchal lineages.
- “Search for Life II” (2025) – A single-channel video installation weaving human and non-human stories of diaspora and pearl economies, projected with synthetic pearl beaded elements.
Her 2025 solo “Coordinates at Dawn” at Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt linked Philippine maritime heritage with Indigenous culture and exchange, shown alongside “Diaspora Ad Astra” (2020) and the “Search for Life: Diptych.” She also participated in the Sharjah Biennial and Hawai’i Triennial that year.
In early 2026, Comilang’s ongoing exhibition at Berlinische Galerie continues to draw attention, and Frieze named her among the “Ten Artists to Watch in 2026” for her major shows and thematic depth on labor, technology, and global entanglement.
Comilang’s practice—often collaborative and research-driven—challenges viewers to reconsider borders, belonging, and the human cost of globalization. As biennials and institutions increasingly prioritize decolonial narratives, her poetic yet incisive films position her as a vital figure shaping the future of video and installation art.
For inaccuracies, contact Darren Smith.
