Gil Batle

Gil Batle spent his early teens in San Francisco's inner-city public schools where gangs and drugs became his way of life. His ability to draw gave him an identity and created room for acceptance from his peers. Drugs, graffiti, and designing gang tattoos were coping mechanisms in dealing with his abusive father and the violent gang life.

Gil's first incarceration was spent in the California Youth Authority at the age of 13 for auto theft and drug possession. Amongst his drug use and continued exploration of art, Gil married at an early age and started a family. But as his creative skills sharpened, his drug abuse worsened, leading to divorce and his downward spiral.

He became a homeless nomad and soon found himself in and out of many of California's county jails for drugs. To feed his drug addiction and survive the streets, his art form had to become more "creative" and riskier. Counterfeiting became his new medium, along with fraud and forgery. Absconding and living this lifestyle, he was again caught, failed to complete mandatory drug programs, and finally sent to prison. During his time in 5 of California's worst prisons, Gil passed his time by drawing portraits and greeting cards for his fellow inmates and learned the art of tattooing. This art kept him accepted and safe but more importantly: alive.

After serving many years locked up, Gil had enough. He was paroled in 2007 and never returned to the streets again. Instead, he moved 7,000 miles away to a remote island in the Philippines -- his family's native country. Clean and sober, Gil continued to create art, reflecting on his experiences in the prison system.