Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen is a force in contemporary performance art, known for her fearless exploration of identity, gender, diaspora, and cultural politics. Born in Manila and raised between the Philippines and Denmark, her practice reflects a life shaped by dual belonging and constant negotiation between collectivist and individualist values. Over the past two decades, Cuenca Rasmussen has developed a richly layered body of work spanning performance, video, photography, and sculpture—often using her own body as a site for storytelling, critique, and transformation.

In this conversation with CNTRFLD.ART, Cuenca Rasmussen shares candid reflections on growing up between cultures, motherhood and feminism, and her artistic evolution from intimate video-based narratives to bold public sculptures and performances. From her early encounters with institutional art in Denmark to exhibiting in groundbreaking international shows—like the Brooklyn Museum’s Global Feminisms—her practice continues to defy categorisation.

Currently preparing for major public commissions and performance works across Scandinavia, including a powerful new piece exploring motherhood for the Vigeland Museum and Glyptotek, she speaks to us about the power of performance, working site-specifically, and carving out space for bold, uncompromising voices—especially for women artists navigating themes of identity and cultural heritage.

“My interest in feminism only began when I became a mother… Even with a liberated partner, I felt quite alone. That’s when I truly experienced the difference in gender.” — Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen

CNTRFLD. Your upbringing in both the Philippines and Denmark seems to have had a significant impact on your art. How did your childhood and early experiences in both countries shape your artistic journey?

LCR. Since this was literally life changing moving, as an 8-year-old. Surely, it shaped my artistic journey, maybe it even explains why, I became an artist. It made me watchful and question a lot. About whom I am?  My ongoing topic on identity surely has been shaped from my dual cultural background. I have never taken things for granted. I have been looking back a lot to the Philippines, where I got a lot of inspiration from the culture and my childhood memories.

CNTRFLD. As someone with a dual cultural background, how did your early childhood in the Philippines compare to your later years in Denmark? How has this diasporic experience influenced your work?

LCR. The countries and continents are quite different, almost the opposite of each other.

To sketch it up roughly: In Asia people live in collectivism.  In The Nordic countries the society is based on individualism.  I adapt to this, wherever I am: Collectivism vs. Individualism.  But it is also confusing sometimes to be in between both cultures. I would say collectivism seems to be more healthy way of living, but it does have a cost, which is your freedom, which I truly treasure.  I love to be alone, and I don’t like compromises.  I simply create and think better, when I don’t have to consider others.

CNTRFLD. Looking at your experiences as an artist in both Denmark and the Philippines, how would you compare the cultural perceptions of art, and the level of support systems for artists in both environments?

LCR. Interesting that this answer illustrates the exact opposite from the previous, regarding the collective and individualistic.  In Denmark everybody pays tax and 1% of the tax income goes to support the Arts directly; with grants, public commissions, project fundings etc.  So, there is a collective/public support system. Technically, you can benefit from the funds if you are an art professional.   In the Philippines everything is private. Art is embedded in a commercial system.  The galleries, collectors and sponsors have the responsibility and the economic power at the same time.  It gives different dynamics and creates different kinds of art.  I see myself as an institutional artist, my commercial products are less successful compared to my commissions and collaborations with the institutions.

CNTRFLD. In your work, you address themes of identity, gender, culture, and social relations. Could you share how these themes manifest in your art and what drives your exploration of these topics, especially as a woman artist?

LCR. Basically, I am curious on humanity and human behaviour, (his/her) stories The topic of the woman artist is embedded in the works, where I perform and use myself, because I am a woman, I used that layer (of femininity) in the work. My interest in feminism, started only when I became a mother.  It was first then; I could feel and experience the difference on gender.  Even my partner was a liberated, male feminist and artist, but when it came to taking care of the baby, I felt quite alone.

CNTRFLD. You were part of the first international exhibition dedicated to feminist art at the Brooklyn Museum in 2007. How did being part of that landmark exhibition influence your perspective on feminist art, and how has it impacted your practice since then?

LCR. Exhibiting in New York was a life changer too, and it had indeed a big impact on my practice.  I got a collaboration with a gallery there (unfortunately it closed, Renwick Gallery.  Many more exhibitions followed in the coming years.  In 2009-10 I got a one-year residency there and a lot of collaborations and shows.  I was in a performance workshop in MOMA for a year led by Klaus Biesenbach.  I took part in Performa09.  My performance practice basically became more dominant during these years, so the NYC years 2007-2012, were essential. One of my goals of doing a residency in NYC was to find some kind of discourse on performance art, to get inspiration and achieve competition.  There was hardly any performance going on in Denmark in 2007.

CNTRFLD. Your art spans a variety of media, from performance to sculpture and photography. How do you decide which medium best suits the concept or message you want to communicate in your works?  

LCR. It depends on the context, space, the story I want to tell, and sometimes the specific commission. I work more site specific now, earlier, my works were autonomous, based on video, and some photography.  The works were a story on their own, and did not depend on context or the space.

CNTRFLD. Can you share more about your work in the 2024 POSE ←→ EXPOSE exhibition at the Drawing Room in Manila? How does this new series connect with your earlier explorations in performance and photography?

LCR. Over the years my photographic works have become more static and sculptural, compared to before, where they were more documentary style. It was exactly this matter; I wanted to focus on.

CNTRFLD. What are some of the major influences or inspirations that have shaped your artistic vision over the years, and how do these influences show up in your recent work?

LCR. Lately, I have mostly been influenced by history and design.  The hybrid, and cross disciplinary, in-between art in the liminal place, is what I find interesting.

CNTRFLD. What exciting projects or future works are you currently working on, and what directions do you hope to explore in your future practice?

LCR. I am working on my first public commission for a Gefion Gymnasium in Copenhagen, Denmark.  It is a sculpture, that also has a function as a Water Fontaine and shaped as a “brain”.  So, you get water from a “brain” to water your brains, it will be made by bended steel and granite.  There is also a huge light piece that forms meanders.  The two works are connected and illustrates water and light.  (I’m) So excited about it.  Another commission is in 9 days, which is a performance for Vigeland Museum in Oslo, Norway, that later will travel to the Glyptotek in Copenhagen and Faaborg Museum in Fünen, Denmark, some of my favourite museums here in the North.  The Mitochondrial Eve and it is about The Mother figure and Motherhood, I am writing the last text and songs these days, covering a large scope and perspectives on the theme.  I will be wearing a white costume with 13 babies crawling on me, which is inspired by the sculpture ”Vandmoderen” (Water Mother) by Kai Nielsen from 1920.  The public space is what I find most exciting at the moment.  In the future, I hope to make sculptures in public space.  I also dream of making a retrospective exhibition where I can show early to recent works in an art institution, that would facilitate and curate the exhibition properly.

CNTRFLD. What advice would you give to women pursuing a career in performance and contemporary art, particularly those navigating issues of identity, gender, and culture in their practice? How can they sustain their creative practice and confidently carve out their place in the art world?

LCR. Be bold.  If you are scared to pursue an idea, then do it!  The (art) world needs bold works.

About the artist.

Lilibeth Cuenca Rasmussen (born 1970 in Manila) is a Danish-Filipina internationally acclaimed visual and performance artist who has exhibited and performed widely across the globe. Her work has been featured at institutions including KIASMA Museum of Contemporary Art and HAM (Helsinki Art Museum) in Helsinki, the Brooklyn Museum in New York, Tate Modern in London, Performa09 in New York, the National Gallery Singapore, Borås Art Museum in Sweden, Ateneo Art Gallery in Quezon City, Röda Sten Konsthall in Gothenburg, and at the Venice, Thessaloniki, Busan, and Singapore Biennales. She has also exhibited at AROS Art Museum in Aarhus, the National Gallery of Denmark, Nikolaj Kunsthal, Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Den Frie Centre of Contemporary Art, Copenhagen Contemporary, and many more.

Cuenca Rasmussen works across diverse forms of performance, critically engaging with themes of performativity, femininity, ethnicity, diaspora, and performance itself. She collects, adapts, and universalises narratives with a sharp yet humorous lens, addressing issues such as identity, culture, religion, gender, and social relations. Her productions often incorporate the body, scripted text, composed music, and visually intricate elements such as costumes, which often double as set design. In her re-enactments, Cuenca Rasmussen explores her art historical heritage and questions both the role of women in art history and the identity of the artist. Her work spans media including video, photography, and sculpture.

She studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen (1996–2002) and is currently Professor of Time-Based and Performance Art at the Art Academy in Bergen, University of Bergen, Norway.  Her works are part of numerous public collections, including HAM Helsinki Art Museum, KIASMA Museum of Contemporary Art, SMK National Gallery of Denmark, AROS Art Museum in Aarhus, Horsens Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Roskilde, HEART Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Malmö Art Museum, and Rønnebæksholm in Næstved.

In 2023, she received the Thorvaldsen Medal of Honour, the New Carlsberg Foundation Art Prize, and the Anne Marie Telmányi, born Carl-Nielsen Foundation award. She has also received accolades from the Aage & Yelva Nimbs Art Foundation, the Niels Wessel Bagge Art Foundation, the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Art Prize, the ARKEN Art Prize, the Annie & Otto Johs. Detlefs’ Foundation, and, in 2008, the prestigious Eckersberg Medal of Honour.

www.lilibethcuenca.com

With thanks to Cesar Jun Villalon, Jr. and The Drawing Room for facilitating this conversation.

About the Drawing Room.

Founded in 1998, The Drawing Room is a Manila-based gallery committed to supporting artists whose practices reflect the Philippines’ ever-evolving cultural landscape. Originally established as a space dedicated to works on paper, it has grown into a platform for interdisciplinary artistic exploration, championing complex, critical, and socially engaged practices. Alongside monthly exhibitions in Manila, the gallery actively circulates its artists through off-site presentations and major art fairs in cities including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Jakarta, New York, and Paris.