J.A. Tan’s Speech at Conrad Hotel Manila
Video of J.A.’s speech during the Opening Reception of his exhibit “Return and Remember” at the Conrad Hotel in Manila, November 2025.
Here is the full speech:
Welcome to my home, my world… I am JA Tan, an artist with the gift of autism. I say gift of autism because my autistic mind gives me the gift to pursue this passion of creating art in whatever way I feel I need to and can do.
Why???
Because art informs my existence— it is my silent dialogue with the world expressed as a journey through color and perspective. Through my years of creating art, I have realized that I always used art as a way of helping myself bring out my thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Each stroke brings clarity and expression of these varied situations and states of mind and feeling.
I consider art an integral part of my existence as each work is a personal journey of myself with myself, and myself with the world, bringing a feeling of peace and happiness since things become clearer to me through the images and visual pictures before me. Coping with everyday life as an artist challenged with autism, is not easy. But my art allows me to understand the world we live in and so helps me feel that I belong to this world even if I see it differently from others – and others may see me differently too.
Words fade….but colors continue to speak long after some of its vibrant shades are gone. I aim to make the pictures warm and convey warm emotions to everyone.
For me, art is a journey of connection – a way to retrace steps through memories and places that have shaped me into who I am today. In this exhibit I explore the idea of home through my paintings, capturing the landscapes and spaces where I’ve found belonging. Each image I have created speaks of a moment, a place, or a feeling that resonates deeply within me.
Whether in Vancouver, the Philippines or elsewhere, these places have left imprints on my soul, shaping my sense of self in the world. My bold palette conveys meaning, inviting the viewer to explore. These paintings bring together fragments of memory, allowing me to understand and share my personal narrative. I create story telling abstracts of mixed feelings and emotions triggered by the world around me and inside of me. Through my brushstrokes and colors, I express the many ideas and stories that provide possibilities to connect with places I call home.
When the Philippine National artist BenCab visited my exhibit at the Ayala Museum ArtistSpace in 2013, he advised me to continue to paint “from my heart without thinking of who I have to create a painting for or how much it would sell.” And I have heeded that advice and paint just for the love of painting while persisting to continue to learn and improve my technical skills. My teachers in Emily Carr University always said to do something related to my art for at least 15 hours a week. I hav in my career and in my life in general.
So friends, ladies and gentlemen, I now invite you to step into these places with me and in doing so, perhaps you’ll find echoes of your own journey home …in full color!!!
Maraming salamat! Thank you!
