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hellaleah

@hellaleah

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artist + side quest collector✨
murals • illustration • design
📍ATL
📩 [email protected]

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Another Michelin Guide ceremony is in the books!

It was just Carlo and I who traveled to Nashville but we carried our Kamayan family and our community in our hearts. 🇵🇭

No matter how many accolades or nominations we receive, at the end of the day, we’re just an auntie and uncle who fiercely love our beloved Philippines and our kababayan(s).

We are the keepers of traditions.
It’s a humbling role and we are grateful and fortunate we get to do it every day.

More than the distinctions, it’s the respect and camaraderie with our fellow chefs that we value the most.

Among us, there is no competition—and that’s the true mark of a chef.

We are all here in Nashville to root for and celebrate each other, fully understanding what we all go through and knowing that we have each other.

We head back to Atlanta with full hearts, and we can’t wait to cook our 💜 out for y’all!

Mahal namin kayo.
Salamat,
Tita Mia & Tito Carlo
aka Mimi & Lolo 🥰

🫶🏽 Thank you @hellaleah for hand painting my dress. Love you!

#michelinstars26 #michelinguideamericansouth #welovebuhi #FAHM #pinoypride

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This @sensesensibilityfilm and @olfactorynyc collab was sooo cute! I loved meeting new ATL creators to celebrate the film release while making our own personalized, film-inspired perfume. I love period romance so much and this film is absolutely everything. Daisy Edgar-Jones is one of my favorite actresses. I'll watch everything she is in!

#senseandsensibility #bookstagram #periodromance #movierelease

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@potluckhawaii is a filipina american owned & operated small business here in honolulu. like any potluck, the concept behind the store is that the table is meant to be shared. our selection of stationery, books, trinkets, and lifestyle goods are intentionally curated to celebrate asian and pacific island cultures both locally and globally. here’s a peek at what we have in the shop! happy filipino american heritage month! 🇵🇭

we have new stickers by my talented sis-in-law @hellaleah! these stickers are clear, waterproof, uv-proof vinyl.

mahal kita (i love u) in tagalog

para sa kultura (for the culture). comes with a mini kamayan spread 🤌🏽

the oldest tattoo artist alive- apo whang-od using traditional tattoo technique with bamboo stick

filipino cotton tea towel by @candicedoodles featuring all the best foods

filipino dessert cookbook

plant-based filipino food is possible!

here’s a lineup of some of our other books

we have a book about lolo, but we can’t forget about lola!

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In honor of Fil-Am Heritage Month, I’d like to share an event from three years ago that motivated me to take The Khmer Collective out of the archives and into the public eye. Seeing Khmer and Filipino art together on full display for the masses (in my city) sent chills down my spine. I wished my kid were there to see it.

Husband and wife duo, Theo and Lillie created kamay - the Tagalog word for “hand.” The word Khmer is also pronounced the same way. It’s the idea of lending a hand and helping each other out. They hired a full SE Asian team with an emphasis on Khmer/Filipino art and I was asked to be the photographer for the festival. It was an absolute honor.

Set in the historic Underground Atlanta, what used to be storefronts were turned into sweeping interactive artist galleries, the alleys filled with artists, food vendors, organizations and sponsors alike.

The best part? I already personally knew some of these amazing artists like Aldrin (@aldrin_banguilan) and Sokai. And looking back on it in present day- I had no idea I’d someday meet a few of the esteemed Khmer classical dancers featured in Bong Sokai’s work while on my own journey with TKC.

Thankful for Theo + Lillie for giving your Khmer brothers and sisters a space to exist and for bringing me on to document kamay. I celebrated my mom’s birthday with a Srong Tuk ceremony the next day. That trip home literally changed the trajectory of my life.

Happy Filipino-American Heritage Month!
🇰🇭🤝🏽🇵🇭

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Buford Highway. 💜

More than a road—it’s Atlanta’s passport to the world.

This 10-mile corridor is home to over 1,000 immigrant-owned businesses such as ours that keep our city vibrant, full, and inspired.

But to us, BuHi isn’t just a place to eat;
it’s a masterclass in community, resilience, and culture.

Generations of families have planted roots here, building a global South that is constantly moving forward.

📺 Tonight, tune in to @truesouthtv @hulu @disneyplus @secnetwork to see how truly special this corridor is—and why it’s essential not just to Georgia, but to the entire South.

Thank you @johntedge !
🖼️ by the incredible local artist @hellaleah 🎨

#welovebuhi #atlanta #discoveratl #espn

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Meet the speakers you'll hear from at Design Recess! 🎙️

Leah Abucayan (HELLALEAH) is a Filipino-American graphic designer, illustrator, and multidisciplinary artist based in Atlanta, GA, who finds joy in making stuff. She studied Graphic Design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and currently works as a designer and illustrator for CNN Digital. Her background also includes Walt Disney Imagineering, where she worked on environmental graphics and signage for Disney parks, resorts, and cruise lines.

Her creative practice spans graphic design, illustration, murals, public art, chalk, and one of her most unexpected mediums, duct tape. Leah first started experimenting with duct tape at age 11, making purses, bags, and wallets before eventually transforming the material into detailed portraits and large-scale artwork. Whether she's working digitally, painting a wall, or ripping up rolls of tape, her work is rooted in curiosity, play, and finding unexpected ways to make things.

Follow her at @hellaleah

Link in bio for tickets 🎟️

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Check out the new merch!! Buy a gift for yourself or a friend! Or just say hi! ALSO decatur lunar new year Year of the Horse t-shirts and hoodies on discount! These were designed by the incredibly talented @hellaleah exclusively for @decaturlny!! Come gets them while they last!!

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Braved the post hurricane rain to go visit @abvgallery and pick up the new addition (by @batsyhead ) to my tiny gallery collection! Can’t wait to take this to the office on Monday. It’s sure to be a conversation starter. It’s so great to see a fellow post-it note enthusiast have their art in a gallery. ABV also had a lot of my favorite people on display(tagged) and a few new ones! @tinykaijuatl in particular blew me away with her cutout cat witch! Bonus to see @nick_turbo_art and @jeks_nc murals on the side of @argosyeav

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👀 10 NEW MURALS IN THE ART YARD!

Our back lot has a whole new lineup of murals, and this weekend is the perfect time to see them in person.

Check out the latest additions to Art Yard, featuring work by 10 incredible artists, then head inside for the final weekend of ‘Freeform’ group exhibition. The last day to see the show is tomorrow Sunday, October 11.

🛒 Click the link in bio to purchase a print of your favorite mural.

Featured Art Yard Artists:
@aesek
@cat_lanta
@caveal
@das.bk
@david_rojas_art
@gfb3
@hellaleah
@itsmmmonica
@thevoyagerpeacock
@thomasflynnii

📍 ABV Gallery | East Atlanta Village

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Last Hoco!

Last Hoco!

Last Hoco!

Secret walls and outerspace project!

Secret walls and outerspace project!

Secret walls and outerspace project!

Secret walls and outerspace project!

Secret walls and outerspace project!

Secret walls and outerspace project!

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primary colors only ✨🩸🦋

Ilocana + Bolinao Roots in every lifetime 🐚

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ATL ALWAYS SHOWS UP 🔥⚔️
Advance tickets for our @outerspaceproject battle are SOLD OUT!

A few tickets left on the door—get down early 👀
BIG LOVE for all the support 🙏🖤

Fueled by @redbullusa

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