Art in my Head

Nature, culture and people, these are the things that comes out in my head, these are the daily things that I see and I believe in, these are my inspirations.

Last July 2016, through batis- AWARE, I was invited by KGU Kwansei Gakuin University and SALA Asian Shokudo restaurant to create an advocacy art and to speak about my organization at Kobe and Kyoto Japan.

It’s a thrilling experience, almost six years since I left Japan to stay for good in my beloved country, never thought ofgoing back to Japan, so fascinating that I am going back as an advocate and artist and not as an entertainer anymore. I am grateful of the opportunity.

I wasfetched by a good friend Mr. Fuse and met SALA’s owner Mr. Oku and his family, they are hospitable and kind. I feltat home as soon as I saw their eyes, full of gratefulness and surprise. That day, as soon as I checked in the hotel, we went to art store and had an unexpected welcome dinner with the group.

I finished the painting after four days, the mural was painted at SALA Asian shokudo restaurant located at motomachi Kobe Japan, sized 45x60 inches entitled “Empowerment of all People”, an advocacy art campaign about migrants in Japan. Migrant workers in japan has lots of issues, inequality, discrimination, labor rights and so many more.

low skilled workers are usually under 3 D’s or Dirty, Dangerous and Demeaning jobs that is also known in Japan as 3K’s or Kitanai, kinen, kitsui that is widely spread particularly regarding labor done by migrants. Why? Because of language barrier, culture and the vulnerability of migrant workers. For almost ten years of living and working in Japan, I myself saw and experienced how demeaning the jobs for migrant workers are, how dirty women and children suffering in their everyday jobs and activities. I had hard times as I and my children was discriminated because of our skin color and race, it is a great privilege for me to create an advocacy artwork, my emotions was full blast when I did the painting.

Staying for two weeks in Japan gave me time to meet old friends who became my family when I was living in Japan, I talked about my advocacy, in the universities of kobe and Kyoto, I talkedto the Filipino communities and told my friends why I came back, what is my purpose and how my life changed since I started working with Batis-AWARE. Gladly my friends believed and helped me with my advocacy, manyof my friends from Kansai, Tokyo, Okayama and even Toyama visited me andthe mural, I am glad that the painting madegreatimpact.

After that event, I came back to Philippines and had lots of projects and collaboration with other organizations, locally and internationally, I paint almost everyday.

Now, I am pursuing my education, applying at university as fine arts student major in painting, I want to develop myself, I want to learn, to know more about painting, I want to continue and pursue what I am doing now, I want to share it to my community and to others who wants to learn about art, that is why I am creating a digital art gallery entitled #eta#empowermentthroughart believing that art can be a main weapon in amplifying ourvoice. -yllang

How to Get Involved

https://www.facebook.com/kobeasiansala/?ref=page_internal

https://www.facebook.com/yllangmontenegro