ConectArte with Vexta
Art for awareness. Art for change. Art for the greater good.
Art is an increasingly effective means to help improve good health and wellbeing, strengthen social cohesion, encourage a participatory culture and attempt to mitigate the effects of low socio-economic circumstances. The recent collaboration we featured between artist Martin Whatson, the Norwegian Refugee Council and TOMS is one such example of art being used for positive change. The project saw children in refugee camps participate in a workshop where they collaborated with Whatson on art pieces that were then taken back to Norway, exhibited and sold to fund new art projects and art supplies in each of the camps. They were given an opportunity to enjoying some creativity and freedom of expression, working toward improve the environment they’ve been forced to live in.
Another standout project, which uses art to make for positive change is ConectArte.
Together the United Nations World Food Programme, the Municipality of San Salvador and La Casa Tomada launched ConectArte, an initiative which seeks to provide Salvadoran youth with the necessary skills to improve their lives and their communities through art.
Through a series of workshops, participants had the opportunity to address important topics such as nutrition and food security, education, healthy coexistence and the importance of having a life plan, but by expressing themselves through artistic processes. The value of ConectArte is two-fold: on the one hand it engages with youth, discussing with them the important topics detrimental to their future, and on the other hand, presents the possibility of transforming their art skills and creations into sources of income. But most importantly, it gives them a sense of inclusiveness.
The workshop included six artists from Australia, Mexico, Ecuador and Brazil (Paola Delfin, Claudio Ethos & Carola, Lunar New Year, MRtoll and Vexta) who exchanged knowledge and experiences with eight San Salvadoran artists. Together they taught street art techniques such as stencil, lettering, mural painting, balloon making and sculpture to 45 youths from San Jacinto and Centro Histórico, two communities located in the capital city of San Salvador.
Street artist Vexta hails from Sydney, Australia, and now currently works from Brooklyn, NYC. Vexta’s work is known for their bold and extravagant imagery. Her mural for ConectArte titled We Are All Connected (Todos Estamos Conectados), was a reflection mural consisting of the national bird of El Salvador and one that is fond to those in San Salvador – the Mot Mot bird.
Vexta’s mural brings some hope to the disheartening situation in San Salvardor, by looking towards the birds. She wrote in her artist’s statement:
…The birds hover together reaching towards the words Todos Estamos Conectados (We Are All Connected), this statement tracing its letters across a crescent moon – a long standing symbol of the feminine. Family unity & security is so often the responsibility of the mother. In order for the Talapo to survive we need to recognize the importance of its environment and in turn our own human environment. Thus the Talapo here is a symbol of not only the bird itself but the people and the psyche of El Salvador. This work can hopefully stand as a reminder of the importance of nature, unity and the impact that our urban environments have not only on us but on all the creatures around us.
Vexta took on a small group of three students, Javier, Mario and Stanley, to mentor and to also work with her on the creation of the mural. The process, she explained, aimed to teach and allow them to experiment with abstract painting techniques, washes, spray paint, stencils and colour theory. It was also an important opportunity for them to be active in creating something for their city.
We spoke to Vexta about her involvement with ConectArte, her experiences in San Salvador and how art can make for positive change.
fluoro. What do you feel is your purpose as an artist in our world?
Vexta. My purpose as an artist shifts and changes. The underlying thread is to, in some simple way, make this world and maybe this earth a better place for us all. Whether it is by creating a beautiful painting in a place where there previously wasn’t one, or to encourage new ways of thinking in installations or sculptures or by supporting foundations and causes I believe in, in some way, with my work.
I remember reading a quote once “I think of art, at its most significant as a DEW line, a Distant Early Warning system that can always be relied on to tell the old culture what is happening to it” I think it was Marshall McLuhan. He was such a wonderful thinker. I really believe that good art is this. It leads the way to different ways of thinking, or shines a light on important topics and issues. Or by its very action enables forward thinking and perhaps change to happen. What is different now as compared to when Marshall said this, is that it isn’t just culture that is changing. It’s our environment and our societies, which are rapidly shifting faster than our cultures, can keep up.
f. What made you involve yourself in ConectArte?
V. I really believe in the power of art to change and improve our world. I think it is as elemental to life as food, health and shelter. I came into an art career from a background of participating in social activism. So for me it is very important to maintain a social activism element in my practice. I work with Pangeaseed quite a bit. And when the United Nations World Food Program reached out to me to advise them on implementing a street art program in El Salvador I made a few suggestions and one thing lead to another and I found myself gathering a group of predominantly Latino artists to go down to San Salvador to teach workshops and paint murals and hopefully help the World Food Program to gain enough traction to implement a broader Street Art program for San Salvador. In general I really love Central America so I was very excited to spend more time there and work on something in a place that needs a lot of help right now.
f. Tell us about your experience in San Salvador?
V. It was really diverse, exciting, challenging, hot and totally fun. Working in a country like El Salvador which is suffering a lot of hardships right now and has for a long time was pretty daunting – They suffered a civil war 1979-92, have a failing economy, extreme wealth disparity, pollution due to traffic (it’s the most densely populated city in Central America), and not to mention the current gangs warring amongst themselves and the police which has turn San Salvador into the homicide capital of the world. So there were definitely challenges. From dealing with traffic, to transporting the young participants from their neighborhoods and back again, general issues of staying safe, sourcing paint and other art materials, I could go on and on! But that said the Salvadorans were so friendly and generous and such positive people. We had incredible meals and together and shared so many funny and inspiring moments together while we were all painting and creating.
f. What was some advice you passed onto Javier, Mario and Stanley?
V. Well my Spanish isn’t amazing so I did the best I could. As I was coordinating as well as painting I wasn’t going to mentor any students but Javier, Mario & Stanley were so keen to work with me I couldn’t say no. Mario’s English was pretty good so he did a fair amount of translating. Mostly I just tried to encourage them to paint and experiment and help me to make decisions about how the background would look. A few times they told me that they never thought they could be good enough to paint on the Camera Roque Dalton (which was the arts building I was painting my mural on, with Lunar New Year and his students on the opposite side) I just tried to encourage them to believe in their abilities and their creative choices and to always keep it fun. Other than that we talked about their country and outside perceptions and how things aren’t always truly as they seem. And we discussed opportunities and education and how both are very important – to grab them when you can.
f. How do you think art influences change?
V. Street Art, Murals and Graffiti activate a real physical tangible change to the buildings we paint on or the area. A mural or street art festival can really change the look of an area. I think street art can also start conversations about different issues – from themes that our the work is about, to social issues and politics, to ideas of ownership and public space. The small subtle changes that happen person to person are harder to see – maybe someone’s day is better because they see the work of art you painted and it resonates with them. That is just as important to me as the big changes. In terms of ConnectArte hopefully the program there is going to enable young people to be more creative and by taking part in the program they receive support from the United Nation’s World Food Program, which can help alleviate poverty and food insecurity in their families. That’s a pretty real change to be a part of.
f. Why is it important for artists to use their voices (their work) to help facilitate change?
V. Because artists should be intellectuals and philosophers and almost like scientists. We should try and see how many elements connect and our work can bridge those gaps. Hopefully if we are good we can see new ways of being, seeing and feeling and our work should shine a light forward for us all. Maybe that’s too optimistic but it’s what I hope for. I think anyone making work that aims to speak in a creative way to all people should use their voice to facilitate positive change.
f. Sadly, and more often than not, projects are taken on in third world or developing communities and once completed, don’t go much further. What’s different about this project?
V. Hopefully ConnectArte will continue into a stage two event. From there the idea is that local artists and participants will be able to launch more creative endeavors on their own and they will have more local government and NGO support, I think when you have the United Nations & World Food Program backing something chances are good it will continue. The idea is that is a adaptable to the needs of the participants so I think it will grow and change as they need it to.
f. Are you looking to involve yourself in a future component of this long-term project?
V. We shall see what the future holds. ConnectArte is pretty experimental. I definitely hope to see it through to the vision myself, the other artists (MrToll, Lunar New Year, Ethos & Paola Delfin), and everyone at the WFP have for it. Many things are in flux in San Salvador and I think with these types of programs you have to remain very adaptable to the needs that present themselves. Hopefully it will continue as planned!
While art can be for art’s sake, it also plays a very important role in creating happiness. This workshop represented the first steps towards a long term project that will be held with the hope of supporting the construction of healthy communities, strengthening the social fabric, preventing violence, contributing to food and nutrition security and inspiring youth to become agents of positive change.
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