A lady of artistic temperament and character

The Gallery C at Conrad was a warm, abuzz center of art appreciation, family support, and newly forged friendship; as an appreciative crowd gathered for the opening of Kara Pangilinan’s Woman in Progress exhibit. I overheard several saying it was the first time they were viewing her works, and they loved the discovery - the confidence in her strokes, and the manner in which she would select her subject matter. She may have begun over a decade ago with art for T-shirts, stationeries, and even guitars; but now transitioning to murals, this new exhibit was a progression from her Lost Girls solo exhibit of two years ago.

Peggy Angeles, Nestor Tan, Kara Pangilinan, Elizabeth Sy, and Fabio Berto

Mike Salomon and Gab Pangilinan

LACE STUDY 36 acrylic and ink on canvas, 30x20 inches, 2025

GROWING PAINS 2 acrylic and ink on canvas, 30x40 inches, 2024

I’ve watched her sister, Gab Pangilinan, and Gab’s husband Mike Salomon, in their theater forays; so I was happy to discover Kara is Gab’s younger sister. Kara is married to Sushi Tan, and when you count Kara’s beaming Mom, there was truly a palpable feeling of how we had stumbled upon a family gathering - one that we were welcome to! I noted Steven Tan of SM Supermalls eyeing one of Kara’s beautifully striking lace paintings.

Rowell Santiago, Steven Tan, and Philip Cuazon

Nes Jardin with Elizabeth Sy

Lorenzo Tan

Joining Kara in the opening of the exhibit were SM Hotels and Convention Corp. President Elizabeth Sy, BDO Unibank President Nestor Tan, Peggy Angeles, EVP of SM Hotels, and Conrad GM Fabio Berto. A curated bevy of cocktails followed, inspired by Nes Jardin’s input, as he had organized the exhibit.