Zaeli Eliza is a visual artist and a writer from the Philippines. She is an only child and struggled growing up in a dysfunctional family. Her mother died by suicide when she was 16. Eliza was also diagnosed with, and is being treated for, bipolar disorder type I, C-PTSD, anxiety, ADHD, borderline personality disorder and thought disorder. She managed to hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication major in Journalism and a Teacher Certificate Program major in English. She lives with her partner, daughter and maternal relatives in Metro Manila.

Eliza was one of the featured patients who have bipolar in a Philippine documentary show — “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” (One-at-heart, Jessica Soho) — in 2011, where she shared her experiences on how mania and depression affect her life, her struggle in dealing with the illness everyday and her own ways to somehow cope living with bipolar disorder.

“Z,” or Zaeli, her pen name/artist pseudonym, is one of the artists in the group art exhibit which aims to raise awareness regarding mental health in the Philippines. The art exhibit, entitled “Despite My Being _______,” (page 13) was held in Sining Kamalig Art Gallery, Ali Mall, Araneta Center, Quezon City in March 2016. Artworks and personal write-ups of various artists who have a history of mental illness were exhibited depicting how it feels to live with mental illness.

As a volunteer for International Bipolar Foundation since August 2014, she created an info page on Facebook regarding bipolar disorder to spread awareness and provide general information regarding bipolar to her fellow Filipinos who seek help. She is also a member of Boxless Society, a support group newly-founded by Sining Kamalig Art Gallery for artists living with mental illness.

At present, she is an Artist Volunteer for the Art Desk of World Experience Philippines.