Tisang, Jomalyn G.

STS THU Agila

2012-61694

I went to Vargas Museum Saturday last week, and the exhibit available in the first floor was the
Green Go Home exhibit. It is an exhibit wherein the white walls of the museum were all drawn with
artworks based on real photos of protests. The photos themselves tell stories; however, the artists for the
Green Go Home retold these stories in a more captivating and dramatic manner which makes it more
interesting. The drawings were black and white and were drawn either of charcoal, pencil, or black paint.
Some works were more detailed than the photos, while some were less detailed but more focused on
capturing the simple yet important details of the photos. I think the artists drew them according to how
they interpret and depict the photos. I think the Green Go Home exhibit was successful in a way that it
made its audience recall these protests and the reasons behind them.

I think the reason why the works were mostly black-and-white was because they wanted to
remove any unnecessary noise caused by colors which distracts the observers from seeing the significant
details. Instead of focusing on the colors of the photo, with monochromatic artworks, the viewers will be
drawn into the lines, the way the lips of a person frown, the emotions of the faces, et cetera. Also, adding
a bit of color into monochromatic works signified the importance of that colored feature or part.

Artist: Mike Adrao

Of all the artworks drawn on the white walls of the museum, this is probably my least favorite one
when I visited because I don’t understand the artwork at first no matter how hard I looked at it. The only
features of the artwork I first noticed were the distinct word justice and partly drawn sad faces of people.
Unless the observer searches the photo it was inspired on, I think no one could really understand it. But
as I ponder on it, I think that the artist intended it to be that way. It was like he was imploring us to look
for that photo and to read about it. I suppose art should be that way – it should urge the viewers to make
them think. The artwork was based on the People Surge rally which happened in Tacloban on 2014, a year
later after the devastating Typhoon Haiyan. The survivors of the typhoon were declaring and protesting
how the administration back then were very indifferent and insensitive about their situation and how the
government promised a lot for them but almost nothing happened. They had to help themselves for the
most part of rebuilding their lives again.
 Photo: People Surge rally in Tacloban on 2014 (Bulatlat.com)

The drawing was like a photo of a devastation but with faces on it, and I believe it meant that the
catastrophe of 2013 destroyed not only the homes of the people of Tacloban and everyone affected but
also the people in it. I think the partly drawn sad faces were to show that it left scars that will never heal
and voids which will never be filled.

After much contemplation about the artwork, I think this is the best one yet. The artist drew what
he felt about the photo – with the hope of letting the viewer feel it too.

Artist: Buen Abrigo

This is probably my favorite artwork when I went to the museum. I can’t help but notice the gold
string which connects the fists of the protesters, and I think it’s beautiful. It is really similar to the gold
string which symbolized Hercules’s life in the Disney movie Hercules. The Moirai tried to cut Hercules’s
life string which showed how the Moirai controlled the lives of the people in the movie, but they were not
able to because it turned to gold before the scissors snipped.

In the artwork, I think the golden string represented the lives of the patients being held and served
by the hospital. The doctors and nurses demonstrated how the lives of children and other patients should
never be controlled by other people. According to DOH, the hospital should have been relocated in the
Lung Center of the Philippines, but the hospital insisted that it will be difficult and fatal for other patients
in the hospital. The relocation of the hospital was dismissed, and the lot title was given to the hospital.

I also love how the artist does not need to draw all the details on the photo to reveal what
happened in the photo in which it was based.

Photo: Dance mob protest of doctors and nurses at PCMC (UNTV News, 27 June 2014)

Another artwork which has a touch of color in it was the one shown below. It depicts the protests
held after transwoman Jennifer Laude was killed. The protesters were seeking and demanding justice not
only for Jennifer Laude but also for all victims of hate crime.

The recreated drawing for the photo for this one was also magnificent. I noticed that the drawing
looks unfinished, but I think it was the artist’s intention to leave it as is. It should have stated “Justice for
Jennifer Laude and all victims of hate crime”; but the last four words were not complete in the drawing.
An unfinished work might mean an unfinished story. The artist might want to demonstrate how justice
for all victims of hate crime is still in the works, not yet achieved, and should be continuously sought after;
or that the victims of hate crime are relentlessly increasing and stronger protests are needed.

Artist: Jose Ma. Tanierla Photo: Worldwide protests were held for Jennifer Laude
(Philippine Daily Inquirer, October 2014)
 Some more artworks from the exhibit are shown below.

Artist: Archie Oclos

Artist: Gabby Nazareno

Photo: Protests after a teenager born and raised
in Hongkong by a Filipino domestic helper was
rejected permanent residency
(South China Morning Post, 2014)
Artist: Iggy Rodriguez Photo: Demands for justice for farmers killed in Hacienda
Luisita massacre (Bulatlat.com, 2016)

Artist: Renz Lee

Photo: Protests against jeepney phaseout being proposed

to be implemented by the government by the end of 2017
(ABS-CBN News, February 2017)

It was a pretty emotional museum visit for me. I hope more students and Filipinos will see these
artworks and be gently reminded of the state of our country and world right now. Green Go Home was a
remarkable exhibit, and I will greatly recommend it to anyone.