How This Painter Turns Suffocation into Portriats of Survival

Here at the Arts to Hearts project website, we’re thrilled to introduce Filipino-born, Canada-based artist Ingrid Resurreccion, a maker whose path spans interior design and three creative ventures in the Philippines, as well as studies at the Ottawa School of Art. This interview is about the arc of that journey and the ideas driving her current practice: paintings, drawings, and sculptural works that grapple with suffocation, trauma, and the will to keep going—often through the stark, everyday presence of plastic.

In our conversation, Ingrid shares why plastic became a central symbol, something that can protect and also trap, and how that tension fuels her images of wrapped faces and figures. She talks about shifting from client-led work in the Philippines to a studio rhythm in Ottawa that invites risk and experimentation. She opens up about what interior design taught her (structure, proportion, and restraint), how running businesses sharpened her sense of function and story, and the way study has given her room to test, fail, and try again. We also hear how she navigates the push-pull between concealment and exposure, and how she balances creating for others, for survival, and for growth.

What we learned: discipline can be a springboard for invention; migration can widen the lens on making; materials carry stories of their own; and fragility and endurance aren’t opposites but partners in the studio. Taken together, Ingrid’s insights sketch a practice built on curiosity, grit, and the steady work of turning complicated history into something that breathes.

Ingrid Resurreccion is a featured artist in our book, “100 Emerging Artists 2025” You can explore her journey and the stories of other artists by purchasing the book here:

https://shop.artstoheartsproject.com/products/the-creative-process-book

Ingrid Resurreccion is a Filipino artist currently based in Canada, where she is pursuing her studies at the Ottawa School of Art. From an early age, she found her voice in the arts. This passion first guided her toward a degree in Interior Design and later into building three successful art-focused businesses in the Philippines. Despite these achievements, Ingrid views art as a lifelong journey—one that requires constant learning, exploration, and connection with others.

Her move to Canada represents both a continuation and a transformation of this path, allowing her to refine her skills while engaging with diverse artistic communities and global perspectives. Ingrid’s practice spans painting, sculpture, and drawing, with a strong emphasis on the emotional and psychological power of visual art. She believes that art can embody memory and lived experience, evoking emotions that are both deeply personal and universally understood.

Drawing from her own history of trauma and adversity, her work serves as a testament to survival and resilience, transforming vulnerability into strength. Her recent series explores suffocation as both a visual metaphor and a lived experience, reflecting the silencing and oppression that often accompany trauma. Through her striking use of colour, light, and material, she conveys the tension between fragility and endurance, despair and hope. While rooted in personal struggle, her works resonate more broadly as meditations on the human condition—affirming that no matter the weight of adversity, one can rise above with courage, self-belief, and the healing power of art.

1.   From Interior Design to running creative businesses and now studying in Ottawa, how have these experiences shaped the way you create?  

My journey from interior design to running creative businesses, and now studying in Ottawa, has profoundly shaped the way I create. Interior design taught me discipline, structure, and the importance of balance—how every detail, no matter how small, contributes to the whole. Running businesses pushed me to think beyond aesthetics, to consider function, storytelling, and the emotional experience of people engaging with my work.

Now, as I study art in Ottawa, I’ve been given the space to explore vulnerability, self-expression, and healing through creativity. These experiences combined have taught me that creating isn’t just about making something beautiful—it’s about building meaning, fostering connection, and transforming struggle into hope.

2.     How has moving from the Philippines to Canada influenced your practice and perspective on art?   

Back in the Philippines, my art was really shaped by my connection to clients. I was creating with other people in mind, listening to their stories and bringing their visions to life. It was a collaborative process, and their needs often guided my creativity. When I moved to Canada, that changed. Suddenly, I had the freedom to create for myself.

Living in Ottawa has widened my perspective—not just in art, but in how I see myself and life as a whole. I’ve started looking inward, using art as a way to process my own experiences and emotions. It’s been a shift from serving others’ ideas to discovering my own voice. But I carry both with me—the empathy and sensitivity I learned from working closely with clients, and the personal honesty I’ve been able to develop here.

3.   What drew you to use plastic as a symbol when exploring suffocation and trauma in your work? 

I was drawn to plastic as a symbol because of its dual nature—it’s something so ordinary, so present in our daily lives, yet it carries this unsettling quality. Plastic can preserve and protect, but it can also suffocate and trap. That contradiction resonated deeply with my own experiences of trauma. On the surface, everything may look intact, but underneath, there’s a constant struggle for air, for freedom.

Using plastic in my work allows me to make the invisible weight of suffocation visible. The way it clings to the body, how it distorts and restrains, becomes a metaphor for the emotional and psychological pressures we carry but often hide. For me, it’s not just about representing pain—it’s about giving form to that silent battle, and in doing so, opening up a space for release and healing.

Using plastic in my work allows me to make the invisible weight of suffocation visible.

Ingrid Resurreccion

4.   Your pieces carry both fragility and endurance. How do you approach this tension while creating?     

That tension between fragility and endurance is very central to my process. When I create, I don’t try to separate the two—I let them exist together, because that’s how life feels to me. Fragility shows up in the materials I choose, in the rawness of emotion, in the moments of vulnerability I allow to surface. Endurance comes through in the act of continuing, in pushing the work forward even when it feels heavy, in transforming pain into something that can stand on its own.

For me, fragility and endurance aren’t opposites; they need each other. Endurance means nothing without acknowledging what is fragile, and fragility becomes meaningful when it reveals the strength required to carry it. My art lives in that space—in the delicate balance between breaking and holding on.

For me, fragility and endurance aren’t opposites; they need each other.

Ingrid Resurreccion

5.     Since beginning your studies in Ottawa, what lessons or insights have most impacted you?      

Since beginning my studies in Ottawa, one of the biggest lessons has been the value of giving myself space to explore and experiment. I’ve learned that art isn’t just about producing something beautiful—it’s about understanding myself, confronting my emotions, and being honest in my process. Being in a new environment has also widened my perspective—not only in how I see my work, but in how I see life. I’ve realised that creativity is deeply connected to curiosity, openness, and the willingness to embrace discomfort. These insights have allowed me to take risks, follow my instincts, and create work that feels authentic to who I am now.

6.   Having built businesses around creativity, how do you see the balance between creating for others, for survival, and for growth?     

Having built businesses around creativity, I’ve come to see that creating for others, for survival, and for growth are deeply interconnected, but each demands a different kind of intention. Creating for others taught me empathy and collaboration—it’s about understanding someone else’s vision and translating it into something tangible. Creating for survival, on the other hand, required discipline and adaptability, pushing me to find solutions under pressure and navigate real-world constraints.

Creating for growth, however, is the most personal—it’s about exploring my own voice, taking risks, allowing myself to have a voice, and embracing vulnerability. The balance comes from recognising when each mode is needed, and letting them inform each other: the lessons from serving others and meeting practical needs ultimately enrich the depth and authenticity of the work I create for myself.

Ingrid Resurreccion’s work carries us into the space where suffocation meets survival. Through her use of plastic as both shield and trap, she makes visible the struggles often kept out of sight, showing how fragility and endurance can exist together in the same breath.

From interior design to entrepreneurship to her current studies in Ottawa, her journey teaches us that creativity is not a linear process, but an ongoing one of learning, questioning, and rebuilding. Her art stands as a testament to courage and persistence, reminding us that expression can transform silence into something that breathes and heals.

To learn more about Ingrid, click the following links to visit her profile.

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