Babae at Kulay: A Symphony of Women’s Voices

Give a woman the space to tell her story, and she will unapologetically paint her world, her truth, and exactly where she came from.

Words Mariel Ann Breanna Puli
Photos courtesy of Peter Paul Perez Blanco and Mariel Ann Breanna Puli
March 29, 2026

The beautiful summer weather in Rizal perfectly matches the empowered energy of Women’s Month in Angono, the “Art Capital” of the country—an excellent time to celebrate women in their most authentic form, providing a space where they can breathe freely and express their honest realities.

Inside the Blanco Family Museum, art is the heartbeat of the home. Every member of the family deeply values the brush and canvas, carrying a shared passion that has defined their lives for generations. 

This time, the Blanco Art Gallery has opened its doors to host an exhibition in honor of the women of the region. The “Babae at Kulay” exhibit is a living, breathing testament to this commitment—a quiet, shared moment of relief and comfort for the women of CALABARZON.

The Blanco family honors this power through an exhibition of sixty artworks by a mix of rising and veteran women artists, gathered to celebrate the radiance, freedom, and strength of being a woman.

A Heritage of Art: The Blanco Legacy

In the Blanco household, art is the very air they breathe. The museum itself is a tapestry of their stories, experiences, and culture. Established by the family patriarch in the 1980s, it is now managed and kept alive by his children and grandchildren. The fourth of the seven children, Joy Blanco, a respected painter, brought this love for art to where she now resides, where she is a member of the Pililla Association of Local Artists and Designers (PALAD).

It is apparent that their love for art, combined with their love for humanity, gives them purpose. Many of their projects are collaborations with local communities to encourage those around them, and hopefully many more, to also fall in love with art.

As the famous musician Ryan Cayabyab said during his visit to the museum last year: “When you give art a place, it will grow, it will sprout, and it will flourish.” By opening their doors to women from across the region, the Blancos have turned their family sanctuary into a home for every woman’s truth.

Joy Blanco’s Beaming World

For Joy Blanco, the gallery is a map of her soul. Though she now lives in the peaceful town of Pililla, surrounded by fluttering sparrows, this museum remains her guiding light. Her work is a love letter to rural life—filled with the calm colors of festivals, tradition, children playing, and the simple beauty of everyday life.

“When I was a child, I was restless,” Joy recalls with a soft, nostalgic laugh. “The moment I stepped outside our gate, there were the fields and the tall grass. I was always trailing behind my three older brothers.” She remembers picking cherry tomatoes from the roadside and “designing” fallen branches with nature’s trinkets.

The feeling of lightness, the weightless joy of childhood, is the main inspiration for her work. One painting shows her grandchild and one of her siblings’ children playing on the ground, with sparrows everywhere. “It’s about the joy of a child who has nothing to worry about,” she explains. Another canvas captures a local festival, detailed with rice wafers shaped like leaves. This is a recollection of her experience when they visited Lucban, Quezon.

“As a woman, I express that care in my work,” she says. “It’s the same care my mother gave to us, seven siblings.” For her, empowerment is simple: it is the freedom to paint what you love and express exactly who you are.

Radiance, Freedom, and Strength in the Strokes of a Woman

Peter Paul Blanco, the gallery’s manager and the youngest of the seven siblings, believes there is a distinct “feminine side” that goes beyond softness. He points to intricate details, like the tiny blue flowers that a different artist might leave out, as a sign of a woman’s unique perspective.

“You see the love of a mother in these paintings,” Paul observes. “Sometimes the mother isn’t the main subject, but she is there in the background—watching over the young ones, always present.” He points out a painting where a mother’s presence is felt through a fruit bag in the corner—she is there even if you can’t see her in the painting. “The love and care of a mother, of being the light in the home for her children and her grandchildren, is very evident.”

For Paul, this exhibition is significant for both art and the region. By placing the work of rising artists alongside that of veterans, including his own daughter, who started painting at ten months old, the museum creates a space for growth. “Art isn’t exclusive to those who have been doing it for a long time,” he says. “Seeing a master’s work helps a beginner see the technical possibilities of what they can become.”

A Symphony of Women’s Voices

The sixty artworks on display reflect the soul of the region. You see it in the cascading waterfalls, the rural stillness of the lakeside, and the bold colors of the younger artists. While each artist has a different subject, their voices align to form a beautiful symphony.

Every woman brings a different “color” based on her reality and perspective. Some paint their struggles, some paint their beauty, and others paint their dreams. Yet collectively, they are the same—they are women claiming their right to be seen and valued, with all their strengths and vulnerabilities.

Empowering Women

Ultimately, “Babae at Kulay” reminds us that stories, no matter how small or grand, are meant to be shared and celebrated to empower women. The truths of women are beautiful experiences that deserve to be seen and remembered.

As Paul says, “When we give a community, a group, or an organization a place of their own, they will truly continue to grow and flourish. Take this event, for example—it may seem simple, but I believe it is like a drop of water with ripples that will reach far and wide.”

Give space to a woman, and she won’t just paint; she will radiate as she shows her strength and claims her freedom.

A Women’s Art Exhibition: “Babae at Kulay” is now available for viewing from March 10 to 27, 2026, at the Blanco Art Gallery in Angono, Rizal.