SALAの大切なコンセプトを入り口入って右側の壁に描いてくれたフィリピンのアーティストCecille Pauline S. Montenegro (YLLANG).
SALAの大切なFamilyです。

SALAの壁画に込められた想い

そんな彼女がフィリピンから神戸に1年間いることになった！ということでSALAで1年を通して様々なcecilの「Empowerment Through ART」を一緒に開催したいと考えています。
SALAでは「料理」を通したエンパワメント、ですが、「ART」を通したエンパワメントとうことで、
LIVE Painting、展示会、ワークショップなど盛りだくさん。まずは、皆様の想いによって創られた多国籍チャルメラ屋台の側面に新たな魂を込めるべく絵を描いてくれます。ライブペインティングからスタート！

◆LIVEPainting
9月10日 14:00〜18：00　SALA多国籍チャルメラ屋台（SALA入り口）

◆グッズ販売
Cecilの作品のポストカード、Tシャツなどを販売しております。

是非、まずはcecilに会いに来てください！

英語なのですが、Ceciのヒストリーやこれからの6ヶ月間のスケジュールを組みましたのでぜひ、御覧ください。
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Cecille Pauline S. Montenegro

I am a feminist, an artist, and a former migrant worker.
I always wanted to draw and paint since I was a child. But the pursuit of my dream of becoming a visual artist ended when I had to work abroad because of poverty. I and my four siblings were neglected by our parents after my father returned home as an Overseas Filipino Worker in Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s.

As the eldest child, I chose to work for my family. But I also tried to study at the same time. I studied fine arts majored in interior design at the University of the East Caloocan City, Philippines from 1998 to 2000 because I wanted to become a designer or artist. But I had to give up my education when I was seventeen years old when I decided to go to Japan in 2000 to work as an overseas performing artist (OPA). As an OPA in Japan, I experienced different kinds of harassment and abuse that led me to pursue my fight as an individual. When I met people from Batis-AWARE in 2015 and heard the stories of women and children who were suffering from lack of support from their Japanese husbands/partners or fathers, I decided to work in voluntary capacity for the rights of the migrant women who returned to the Philippines with their children, who were mostly abandoned by their fathers. I also became interested in supporting the transnational children.

After a decade working in Japan, I returned to the Philippines for good. In 2014, I started to paint in my own studio, Yllang Artworks. I also became an active book illustrator, designer, layout artist, writer and editor registered with the National Book Development Board.
I am currently taking a course on fine arts majoring in painting at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.
I also became a member of Linangan ng Kulturang Pilipino, visual artist section, an organization that promotes nationalist culture and KASIBULAN (Kababaihan para sa Bagong Sibol na Kamalayan) an all women artists’ organization of the Philippines.

Advocacy Program
Inspired by the stories of the women in Batis-AWARE who survived human trafficking and other forms of human rights violation, I decided to use my painting skills to empower the mothers and their children to share their stories through art.
I got an opportunity to use art to advocate for the betterment of migrant women when I did a mural entitled “Empowerment of all People” in a restaurant in Kobe city in 2016. This restaurant, named SALA Asian Shokudo, was established with the help of migrant women in the city. My connection to this restaurant started after I met a group of Japanese students from Kwansei Gakuin University in Hyogo prefecture during their visit to Batis-AWARE.
The mural, conceptualized by Mr. Oku, the father of the owner Ms. Naoko Kuroda, gave me the power to continue to use art to fight for human rights. Some of my paintings are displayed in this restaurant, portion of sold artworks goes to the organization Batis-AWARE, as a fund raising and support for the advocacy of migrant women workers back in the Philippines.
To continue my support for migrants through art, I thought it would be good to empower communities through art. Empowerment Through Art basically facilitates interpretation of our experiences, frustrations, hopes and dreams through poetry and painting. Personally, the effect of creating something from my imagination and experience is liberating.
In April 2017, I set up Empowerment Through Art (ETA) for this purpose. ETA initially functioned as an awareness and fund-raising campaign vehicle for Batis-AWARE and for aspiring artists. ETA aims to empower people in distressed communities. It provides art workshop and art therapy to distressed women victim-survivors of all forms of human rights violations. I myself found out that interpreting memories (such as memories as a migrant worker) through painting has therapeutic effect.
I held art workshops in different places and each workshop generally involves several components:
a. Teaching of
− basic drawing concept
− basic techniques on using the materials and dry media tools
− basic painting techniques using wet media such as acrylic or water color paint;
b. Introduction of “I am poetry” template to encourage to put in writing what they feel and think;
c. Transforming the words they formulated that prick the heart into artwork.

The art workshops include human rights as one of the themes of art work.
In 2017, I was alone in this journey. I organized everything by myself until 2018 when ETA became a group of fifteen self-taught and trained artists who wanted to advocate the rights of migrants and to promote awareness and change in the society through art. Empowerment Through Art collaborate with individuals, organizations, institutions to serve and empower people.
Currently that I am back in Japan, the fact that I am back here in Kobe, I am taking the opportunity of bringing Empowerment Through Art in the land of the rising sun, I am grateful for the help and support of Ms. Naoko Kuroda, owner of Kobe SALA Asian Shokudo of who believes in the empowerment of all people through art.


Proposed 6 months Activity schedule:
(tentative)
Aug. 25 – Film making and Interview by Mr. Kouki Morita
– Making an outline for SALA yatai cart　←FINISH

Sept 10 and 24 – painting of SALA yatai cart and Exhibition of ETA and supported organizations
products from the Philippines. (Batis AWARE/ Homenet PH/ Rights of Nature/
Buklod tao)

Oct 15 and 29 – production : 3rd and 4th painting of SALA yatai cart and Exhibition of ETA and
supported organizations products from the Philippines. (Batis AWARE/
Homenet PH/ Rights of Nature/ Buklod tao)

Nov 12 and 26 – ETA workshop – 3 hours, Basic drawing techniques, creating your own
Artwork (workshop fee with materials, paper, pencil and markers, 1500 yen)
1. Pointillism
2. Hatching
3. Line drawings

Dec 10 and 24 – ETA workshop – 3 – 5 hours, Basic painting techniques, poetry composition and
creating your own artwork (workshop fee with materials paper, pencil, crayons,
9×12 inch canvas and acrylic paint, 2500 yen)

January 28 – ETA workshop – 3 – 5 hours, Basic painting techniques, poetry composition and
creating your own artwork (workshop fee with materials paper, pencil, crayons,
9×12 inch canvas and acrylic paint, 2500 yen

Artist’s Statement
Painting is my meditation, diary and main weapon in amplifying women’s voice. I use my imagination and creativity using social artistry to create an impact and be a voice for the voiceless women in the society. I paint what is on my mind and in my heart. My interest in and work on women and children’s empowerment concepts inspired me to create artworks out of the stories of women in my organization. I want my artworks to become the voices of migrant women and their children, testify to the issues that affect them but which the general public does not know fully about.
I also create art out of frustration that I am poor and lack knowledge in painting. Because of this, I want to improve my craft so that I can also teach low-income people who cannot go to art school but have the talent and creativity. This is my way of helping them find their voice so that they can raise awareness and solve the problems affecting them, especially women and children from poor communities. I always want to develop myself as an artist and leader. I want to help and connect with people.

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※スケジュールは変更の可能性もあります。随時お知らせいたします！

Let’s continue believing in the power of ART! – YLLANG