Lacorte, Irma

Born in Tacloban City in 1965, Irma Lacorte is a central voice in the contemporary art landscape of the Visayas and a dedicated mentor to the next generation of Filipino creators. She pursued her foundational advertising design training in Manila during the mid-1980s before anchoring her practice in studio-based research, advanced drawing, and printmaking.

Currently based in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Lacorte bridges her intensive studio practice with academic leadership. She has been a driving pedagogical force within the visual arts scene of the Southern Visayas, notably serving as the Department Chair of the Fine Arts Department at the College of Performing and Visual Arts (COPVA), Silliman University.

Education & Academic Foundations
1999: Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Candidate, Major in Studio Arts – University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City

1982–1986: Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Major in Advertising – University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila

Prestigious Grants & Artist Residencies
2003: Selected Freeman Fellow – Vermont Studio Center, Vermont, USA

Grantee: Participating Fellowship Artist – Asian Cultural Council (ACC)

Grantee: National Research & Creative Production Grant – National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)

Institutional Affiliations & Curatorial Practices
2021–Present: Co-founder – ILCP Art Space, a self-funded, artist-run alternative channel and sustainable organic materials research platform developing an off-the-grid creative hub and studio network in Negros Oriental.

2000–Present: Consignor Pool of Artists – Galleria Duemila, Pasay City, Philippines

1997–2004: Resident Curator – Mango Square Mall Art Center, Cebu City

1995–Present: Lead Curator – Do Nest Studio

Selected Exhibitions & Collaborative Installations
Lulan, Ulila, Liham, Alaga, Naman (2024): A critical collaborative project mounted at the UP Parola Gallery, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Echoing Messages (2024): Staged at Mugna Gallery, Negros Oriental, locating printmaking matrices and identity within regional island topographies.

Women in their Environment (2023): Hosted at the Museo De La Salle, De La Salle University-Dasmariñas.

PAGTAWID (Crossing Over) (2021): A monumental site-specific public memorial installation at UP Diliman executed alongside fellow ACC alumni. The project used three structural staircases ("LuzViMinda") interlaced with twigs, dried leaves, and Inabel fabrics to simulate thresholds of pandemic grief and collective healing.

PROMDI (2016): A landmark national survey co-presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the NCCA.

Regional Surveys: Regular participant in key regional blockbusters, including multiple editions of the Visayas Islands Visual Arts Exhibition and Conference (VIVA ExCon) across Bacolod City (2014) and Iloilo City (2016).

Solo Presentations: Highly acclaimed individual showcases mounted at the Negros Museum in Bacolod (2024), Qube Gallery in Cebu (2022), and Transit Story (2009).