Nikki Luna (Filipino, b. 1977)

Nikki Luna was born in Quezon City, Manila Philippines. She holds a BA Painting graduate from the College of Fine Arts University of the Philippines (2006) and a MA in Arts and Learning at Goldsmiths College in London UK (2019). Luna immersed herself in the stories of marginalized and vulnerable women for over a decade. Her practice is grounded in community, weaving their narratives into art and re-contextualizing their experiences from a place of oppression into a position of power. Luna is known for her body of work which primarily tackles social/political violence with a feminist lens. It covers—and is not limited to—misogyny, women used as weapons in war, and women’s human rights. Luna is a woman living and connected to a nation recovering from colonialism and struggling under imperialism beset by issues such as poverty, corruption, and landlessness. With her passion for Women and girl-child rights, she remains committed to bringing attention to the plight of the Filipino women and children and the violations committed against them.

Luna, has exhibited her work nationally and internationally and has represented the Philippines several times including at the 14th Biennale Air Gallery (2021), Cairo Biennale (2019), Japan Aichi Triennale (2013), Singapore Biennale (2013) and at the 5th Beijing Biennale (2012). Her women and children advocacies are endeavors that brought her to take her MA on Women and Development studies. Luna continues her work, intertwining community practice and art, collaborating with grass -roots women, various international organizations, academe, international women partnerships, art institutions, NGOs and government agencies, bringing art focused activities on how to strengthen women and human rights standards, implementing art healing/recovery programs for victims of gender-based violence and those displaced in conflict zones.

She was the recipient of the UK Chevening Award (2018-19), New York Asian Cultural Council ACC grantee (2016), Thirteen artist awardee of the Cultural Center Of The Philippines (2015 ) and attended her artist residency at Cooper Union School of Ar New York, NY (2008). Luna, is also the author of the book “I Love my Body” and founder of feminist publshing house Power In Her Story, creating books and educational materials focusing in mainstreaming gender equality and women’s human rights including all marginalized groups of girls/women/children. The french version of this book is printed under Bayard Presse.