Mahal Likha was a term coined by Maela Liwanag Jose. It was actually the title of a poem that she wrote way back in the 80's. When she resided at Villa Romana, she named her working area, which was a large space which also served as a function hall, Mahal Likha Gallery. In 2018, she and Sonny Zandueta thought that there was a lack of venues in Baguio for which to display artist's works in a gallery setting with white walls and proper lighting so they decided to convert an unused space into an art gallery. This gave birth to Mahal Likha Art Gallery.

In November 2018, Mahal Likha was listed in the places to visit as part of the Entacool Festival, an event mounted to celebrate Baguio as a UNESCO Creative City. There have been a number of exhibitions since the first group show in November 2018 and some solo exhibits followed since its inception. The exhibit openings were always done at full moon. Openings usually start at 4pm and as the full moon rises, the music starts with local musicians and the celebration would last until 10pm. Artists on exhibit would not have to go to another place to celebrate. The exhibit opening and the celebration were all done in the same venue.