Lluch, Julie

Born on March 5, 1946, in Iligan City, Julie Lluch is an indispensable institutional vanguard of Philippine modernism, feminist activism, and cultural history. After graduating with a degree in philosophy in the late 1960s, she followed an independent, self-taught path into sculpture by the mid-1970s.

Lluch’s multi-faceted career looks past the borders of the visual arts; she is an accomplished writer, actress, and filmmaker whose intersectional approach to creative production has earned her widespread acclaim. Her immense dedication to organizing women artists in the Philippines permanently altered the country's progressive cultural movements.

Education & Academic Foundations
1967: Bachelor of Philosophy – University of Santo Tomas (UST), Manila

1973–1976: Faculty Instructor (Philosophy and English) – St. Paul College, Quezon City

1976: Founder & Organizer – Student Art Laboratory, St. Paul College, Quezon City

Grassroots Feminist & Cultural Leadership
Lluch has been a central driving force behind the formation of the country's most vital progressive art collectives and feminist networks:

1991: Co-founder – KASIBULAN (Kababaihan ng Sining at Bagong Sibol ng Kalayaan), the foundational and premier collective of contemporary women visual artists in the Philippines.

1983: Co-founder – KALAYAAN (Katipunan ng Kababaihan Para sa Kalayaan), a historic, nationwide feminist political group.

Other Affiliations: Core Member, Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP, 1983); Board Member, Women’s Media Circle (1986); Member, Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture (ISACC, 1994); and Co-founder, Philippine Women Artists Collective (1995).

Selected Public Bronze Monuments
Lluch has executed numerous highly visible, iconic outdoor public monuments across the country, honoring foundational civic, historical, and spiritual figures:

Arsenio Lacson (Iconic Manila Mayor Monument)

Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. & Evelio Javier (Political Martyr Tributes)

President Manuel L. Quezon (Commonwealth Statesman Memorial)

Chief Justices Cayetano Arellano & José Abad Santos (Supreme Court Tributes)

The Missionaries of Saint Paul & The Plaridel Group Historical Monuments

Le Marin Public Sculptural Installation

Major Awards & Institutional Accolades
1990: Recipient – Thirteen Artists Award, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). This highly coveted distinction solidified her position as a core progressive voice of her generation.

2008: Honoree – Julie Lluch Milestone Career Retrospective, organized and hosted by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

Multi-Media Recognitions: Received multiple national citations acknowledging her diverse contributions as a writer, actress, and independent filmmaker.

Exhibition History
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2004: Terracotta – Galleria Duemila, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City

2000: Filipina 1898 – De La Salle University Art Gallery, Taft Avenue, Manila

1998: Art and Faith – Galleria Duemila, The Art Center, SM Megamall

1994: Passion and Statuary – Liongoren Art Gallery, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City

1991: Earth Art of Julie Lluch-Dalena – Major Institutional Survey, Metropolitan Museum of Manila

1988: New Sculptures – Bulwagang Fernando Amorsolo, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Manila

1985: Recent Sculptures – Maria Cristina Hotel, Iligan City

1985: Five Artists in March (Simultaneous Conceptual Features) – Pinaglabanan Galleries, San Juan, Metro Manila

1984: ASEAN Intergallery Shows – Sponsored by the ASEAN Institute of Art, Rear Room Gallery, Manila

1982: Hearts and Cacti – Galerie Bleue, Makati City

1979: Cacti and Other Terra-Cottas – Galerie Bleue, Makati City

1977: If Joaquin, then Villa; or Busts! – Sining Kamalig Gallery, Manila (Debut Solo Exhibition)

Selected Major Group & Transnational Showcases
2008: Filipina as Artist and Feminist – Slocumb Galleries, East Tennessee State University, USA

2008: Manyika Ko – The Podium, Mandaluyong City, Philippines

2007 / 1991 / 1993: Walong Filipina Series – Liongoren Art Gallery, Cubao, Quezon City

2006: Ode to the Pasig River – Ayala Museum, Makati City, Philippines

2005: 20th Asian International Art Exhibition – Ayala Museum, Makati City

2001: Who Owns Women’s Bodies? – Bulwagang Juan Luna (Main Gallery), CCP, Manila

1995: Asian Modernism – Landmark international survey organized by the Japan Foundation (Traveled through Tokyo, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Manila)

1995: Shaking Hands Across the Seas: Japanese-Filipino Art – Hyatt Regency, Manila

1993: First Asia-Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT1) – Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane, Australia

1993: Sculpture in the Philippines – Metropolitan Museum of Manila

1989: Third Asian Art Show – Fukuoka Art Museum, Fukuoka City, Japan

1989: Banaag: Currents in Philippine Art – Main Gallery, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)

1986: CAP Women’s Art Show – City Gallery, Manila

1979: Philippine Studio Pottery – Design Center of the Philippines, CCP Complex

1977: The Philippine Nude – Peninsula Hotel, Makati City

1975: Ceramics Art Council Show – Philamlife Pavilion, Manila

1973: Society of Philippine Sculptors Annual & AAP Annual Show – Solidaridad Galleries, Manila