Push Admin

Article (news)

Lee Morale

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA -- Still only 20-years-old, queer artist Lee Morale from Sultan Kudarat is becoming a force to be reckoned with.</p><p>She has cemented her space in the cutthroat creative and fashion industry with her works that highlight the day-to-day life in the Philippines. She has amazed her audience through her creations as they gained traction through her social media accounts, empowering rising artists like her.</p><p>Morale is a freelance photographer who identifies as a non-binary transwoman, going by the pronouns she/they. She tried her luck away from the province to study at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, and the rest is history.</p><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/C6JXuGoyydu/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=540&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fnews-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A3628390.5%2C%22ls%22%3A3626939%2C%22le%22%3A3627324.800000012%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><p>Their first encounter with the camera came during eighth grade, when they were only 14-years-old.</p><p>&quot;And at that time, we [were] just planning parang mag-eexecute lang kami ng project... and nirentahan lang namin yung camera. Parang nagka-interest ako at that time sa photography and direction.. Wala pa yung creative... 14 to 15 years old ako at that time,&quot; they said during an interview with ABS-CBN News.</p><p>At first, their intention in using the camera was to take photos of herself. However, during her grandfather&#x27;s burial -- where there was no official photographer -- she became a photographer for a day.</p><p>&quot;And then suddenly, ito yung fun fact—suddenly, noong burol ng lolo ko, parang...walang photographer so...noong unang mga araw, ako yung nag-pipicture and then parang sabi ko, parang ang dali lang naman pala ng photography na &#x27;to. And then may na-hire sila na mga photographers..... and then when I compared my work to them, I felt like... I have potential. So doon s&#x27;ya nag-start sa burol ng lolo ko,&quot; she added.</p><p>By now, she has become a prolific creative director and photographer with her team, even collaborating with local artists and personalities including rising Filipino R&amp;B star Denise Julia.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fleeportraits%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02P7wnAYoCN8eXEiqqpfGMgXbVuPDJcVzoGwgi5knQXWvA988vEuBxMSFoNZnsbRajl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="250" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><strong>Pictures of Philippine pop culture</strong></div><p>Highlighting the rich and vibrant Philippine pop culture has been their prime goal. Morale&#x27;s inspiration is the lifestyle of ordinary people, calling it a homage to the country&#x27;s culture that may have been neglected in fashion photography.</p><p>&quot;I do find my inspiration sa mga ordinaryong tao. Sa mga Pilipino, sa atin mismo. Tuwing dumadaan tayo sa... Kunyari nasa labas ka, nasa lansangan, tuwing dinadaanan mo yung mga bubong. Tuwing sumasakay ka ng MRT, LRT. Yun yung mga pangkaraniwang nakikita natin na parang sa iba, yun yung pamumuhay nila. And doon ko nasasagap yung mga inspirasyon ko when I create a project or work &#x27;cause part s&#x27;ya ng kultura natin,&quot; she explained.</p><p>One of her favorite works is entitled &quot;Pakisabi na lang sa b*tch na ‘yan, ako ang God.&quot; It tackles religion in the Philippine setting, showing how Catholicism remains intertwined in the country&#x27;s culture until now. The installation is still available in Gravity Art Space, an underground space for emerging and established artists of Philippine contemporary art located at Mother Ignacia Avenue in Quezon City which runs from June 7, 2024 to July 7, 2024.  </p><p>According to a post that she also shared on her social media account, the work is a love letter to all queer kids that &quot;no matter how ambitious and intimidating your dream is, you can achieve it through thorough hard work, honor and excellence.&quot;</p><p>Other works that have caught the attention of netizens featured their take on modern pop culture, including the recent movie &quot;Challengers,&quot; and her fresh take on the &quot;Fallen Angel.&quot;</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fleeportraits%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0HZzdh56f89Cak6NuG7PumiRQbEK5eGS9Bd5x3VkzDE9NZkeDqjJuprCp3owTUdzYl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="250" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>Their works are also inspired by artists she looks up to, including celebrated western fashion photographer David LaChapelle. Locally, she says BJ Pascual has become one of the reasons she pursued a photography career.</p><div><strong>Importance of visibility and celebration of Pride</strong></div><p>The lack of visibility of her community, on the other hand, motivated Morale to create content with compelling stories behind them as her way to celebrate Pride month.</p><p>&quot;I am celebrating Pride Month sa pagbibigay visibility sa aming komunidad. And by that, I&#x27;m saying na we&#x27;ll keep on creating contents sa—mga istorya namin. We will keep on pursuing yung mga project namin for queer people and talaga i-engage yung mga tao na sa kabila ng lahat ng dinadanas namin, nandito pa rin kami. Dapat n&#x27;yo kaming makita, dapat n&#x27;yo kaming masubaybayan,&quot; she said.</p><p>Notably, she has been featured in some international and local magazines such as Vogue, L’Officiel and Preview along with works. This kind of exposure, for them, is monumental as a rising queer artist who is still navigating her path. </p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbryantleeniervo.morales%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02hay7tsqs3gUNWvNS3yxm9sxQE2DKkFtdcsGykRYuFnbQ5qWBSQYypuLnuiFRxySFl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="498" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbryantleeniervo.morales%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02c5JyruNdYtTcAZHaqX5TmRrqqB94LsEc1rFtLkdYTGpp8uqnwRNQA9dKr96Sh6XEl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="718" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbryantleeniervo.morales%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0L2QSJausZNMZuDibwJRgdxYmUjA8rLCKxB9yEojUH5FdbjxS6hGM6AiXRUPfnK6Bl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="523" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>When she entered the industry, she says she never experienced prejudice because of her preferred identity. </p><p>&quot;No, surprisingly wala. Creative scene and creative industry here in the Philippines are very welcoming, especially sa mga rising creatives. Talagang binibigyan nila ng respeto also yung mga gawa namin, narrecognize kami. Even BJ Pascual, he&#x27;s also commenting on our works. Parang na-fefeel namin na welcome na welcome when it comes sa mga ganung aspeto,&quot; they said.</p><p>Rather, her main challenge as a creative is to present her style to clients, and how she can be further seen by those who will hire them to do projects.</p><div><strong>Underexposure and an ode to all the artists</strong></div><p>With all the milestones she has reached, Morale is no stranger to hurdles and challenges. Growing up in the province, her creative visions were left unrealized; opportunities were elusive for her.</p><p>Her advice to those who wish to venture on the same route? &quot;Just keep on doing what you love.&quot;</p><p>Morale believes that if you love what you do, it will flourish and birth other bodies of work that may inspire other artists.</p><p>&quot;In order for me na mangyari yung gusto kong mangyari, talagang pinagsumikapan ko siya. So...if you are eager enough na pasukin ang industriyang ito, it&#x27;s cutthroat talaga—pero ang masasabi ko is to just continue on doing what you love, magbubunga talaga s&#x27;ya. It will be worth it soon,&quot; they said.</p><p>In the meantime, she&#x27;s not planning for what&#x27;s ahead of her, in terms of catering to the audience&#x27;s taste. They only envision to keep on &quot;creating and creating, and reinventing, and rebranding.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Hindi lang sya makakahon dapat sa ganitong estilo lang, sa ganitong photography style lang s&#x27;ya nakakahon. As you can see with my works, nagsimula ako sa streets and then nabago s&#x27;ya noong nag-studio photography and then nagbago naman siya when we incorporated paintings to our work. And ngayon, mas nag-stick pa s&#x27;ya sa street photography...but still nai-incorporate pa rin yung message na gusto kong maiparating yung pag-incorporate talaga ng Philippine Pop Culture to my works,&quot; Morale said.</p><p>Zooming into the future endeavor, she plans to still continue what she and her team have started since the beginning of time.</p><p>&quot;Like I said, I wanted to continue yung sinimulan ko, yung sinimulan ng team namin. Pagbibigay ng istorya, pagbibigay ng buhay, pagbibigay ng sining sa mga pangkaraniwang settings na nakikita natin sa pang-araw-araw na buhay,&quot; she added. -- Jomari Gimongala, ABS-CBN News Intern</p>

<p>Still only 20-years-old, queer artist Lee Morale from Sultan Kudarat is becoming a force to be reckoned with.</p>

Still only 20-years-old, queer artist Lee Morale from Sultan Kudarat is becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Emerging queer artist shoots her shot in photography

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Lifestyle

Emerging queer artist shoots her shot in photography

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 29, 2024 12:54 PM PHT

|

Updated Jun 29, 2024 09:30 PM PHT

Read More:

Pride Month

Pride Month 2024

Lee Morale

photography

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.