Kreative Growth 2026: MAHAL — Opening Reception
*This is a free, open event. If you're able, a suggested slide scale donation of $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $50 support the artists and Balay Kreative's community programming — pay what feels right to you.
Join us for the opening reception of MAHAL, an exhibition by the 2026 Kreative Growth artists — Tanza J. Solis and Gelli Pascual.
Mahal is a Tagalog word carrying the dual meaning of both "beloved" and "valuable" — rooted in precolonial trade and cultural exchange, shaped by centuries of diasporic memory. In a moment defined by loss, burnout, and widening inequity, MAHAL invites us to reconsider what we protect, what we nurture, and what we hold dear beyond profit or prestige.
Tanza J. Solis (he/they) is a multidisciplinary artist and material necromancer whose mixed-media sculpture Mother Oceania holds the grief of our oceans — built from coastal textiles, plastic waste, and microplastics gathered from the Alameda shoreline.
Gelli Pascual (she/they) is a Queer Filipina photographer, filmmaker, and poet whose series Mana ng Mahal: The Legacy of Mahal documents the unseen labor of caregiving across generations — centering love as cultural inheritance.
On view May 28 – June 12, 2026 CAST SF Gallery | Dempster Building | 447 Minna Street, San Francisco
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 28 | 6–9 PM Free & open to the public.
The vibe is set. Light bites, good drinks, and music by DJ OwlBoogie — SF Bay Area DJ and member of Act Fig Sound — keeping the energy just right for the reception.
Presented by Balay Kreative, a Kultivate Labs program.