Kapitolyo Art Space presents Lumière, a Women’s Month exhibition

Women are often described as the “light of the home”—a phrase meant to embody the nurturing qualities of a mother. But beyond the domestic sphere, women also illuminate communities, spaces, and creative ecosystems that they inhabit. They not only keep things together; they initiate, build, and transform.

Maryrose Gisbert Artwork 1

Lumière, derived from the French word for “light,” expands this understanding. The exhibition positions women not as symbolic sources of warmth alone, but as active forces whose expression shapes cultural direction. Light is an element that reveals what is sometimes overlooked, illuminating crevices that would not have been seen 

without it. True enough, in many creative communities, women function as anchors and accelerators, organizing initiatives, sustaining collaborations, mentoring peers, and producing work that reframes inherited narratives—just like light illuminating a 

dark room. Their labor, both seen and unseen, contributes to the vitality of the whole creative sphere. Their impact is not peripheral. It is structural.

Nanette Villanueva Held, Not Still 18x24

Nanette Villanueva Weight of Listening 16x20

Across different media and visual languages, the exhibition affirms that women illuminate more than intimate spaces—They illuminate public discourse, creative risk, and different possibilities. Their work does not simply occupy walls—it sparks dialogue in each glance made towards the walls that hold these canvases.

Nova Lucernas_Depleted I

Nova Lucernas_Depleted II

Reflection_Acrylic and Ink on Satin_24x18_2025_Lynpatricio

Domiel Mercado WIP photo 1

Chai Soo Final Artwork photo 1

Jikka Defiño - Forgive Them

Mounted during Women’s Month, Lumière recognizes that while women have long been acknowledged as foundational within the home, they are equally foundational within artistic and cultural life. The light they carry extends outward—into studios, galleries, collectives, and communities—where it continues to shape how contemporary Philippine art is imagined and sustained.

Asha Velasco Final Artwork photo 1

Lumière gathers twelve women whose varied practices reflect this generative force: 

Lyn Patricio 

Domiel Mercado 

Nanette Villanueva 

Rara Carrillo 

Rax Bautista 

Chai Soo 

Nova Lucernas 

Tammy de Roca 

Nida Hemedes Cranbourne Maryrose Gisbert 

Jikka Defiño 

Asha Velasco 

The exhibition opens on March 11, 2026, at Kapitolyo Art Space and will remain on view until March 24, 2026.