Evaluator Paloma Vianey (Artist)

Having to grow up in the most dangerous city in the world, I had to confine myself at home for protection. Ciudad Juarez, my beloved hometown, was victim of the harsh consequences from drug-trafficking, and hundreds of innocent people were being murdered. I decided to take action, use a paintbrush as my weapon, and become an artistic activist fighting against violence. This meant I had to train and educate myself about art. Not only did I practice to obtain skills, but I also studied the theory and history of the discipline, an action that became a habit. Ultimately, I emitted peace to community members through my compositions. This resulted in my enrolment to The University of Texas at El Paso, where I studied Art History and Painting. During my undergraduate studies, I lived in Mexico and studied in the U.S. concurrently, meaning I crossed the Mexican-American international border on a daily basis. This shaped a bicultural identity as I had to split my time between Mexico and the U.S. With this identity, I was commissioned in 2017 to paint a 10 ft by 30 ft mural at the General Consulate of Mexico in El Paso embodying my unconditional love for both the US and Mexico, a prominent feeling in my border community. It depicts two windows representing Mexico and the U.S., which are connected through a fictional bridge creating a positive and communal environment. It also features a trompe l’oeil curtain, an optical illusion I like to add to my compositions. This year has been about the development of a colossal mural of 30 ft by 60 ft at the Mexican-American international bridge, where millions of people cross yearly. It has the purpose of portraying peace and introducing culture to the audience entering Mexico from the United States. Originally, this composition was developed when Ciudad Juarez was at the peak of its violence and I wanted to overshadow that negativity with art.