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 My Love 16x25in Soft Pastel on Paper 202

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 18x25in Charcoal and Graphite on Paper

2026  Nanette Villanueva Weight of Listening 16x20in Charcoal and Graphite on Paper 2026 

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 36x24in Mixed Medium

Lucernas Depleted II 36x24in Mixed Medium 2026

Patricio Moment of Stillness 18x24in Acrylic and Ink on Satin 2025

Domiel Mercado 2026

Chai Soo The Last Autumn Waltz 3x2ft Acrylic on Canvas 2026

Jikka Defino Forgive Them For They Do Not Know What They Are Doing 18x24in Mixed Media (Wood and Repurposed Frame) 2026

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 Nowhere and Everywhere 18x24in Mixed Media Collage 2026

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.