Vanesa Álvarez, artist and graphic designer from Vigo, He arrived in New York two years ago, and since then he has not stopped immersing himself and working in the cultural world of the great American city, but without losing contact with Galicia. In addition, it has managed to keep alive important projects developed in the olive city, such as the Kerouak Festival, an international poetry meeting that celebrated its 10th anniversary last October and that the artist managed to organize from the other side of the ocean and in the midst of a global pandemic. . A challenge.
Now, Vanesa occupies covers and space in interviews of numerous Galician and American media thanks to a new project: We will hug again. A great message of hope and enthusiasm that shines on the walls of the Brooklyn neighborhood where you live, Williamsburg. “The mural was born as a collaboration with La casa de Bobblehaus, an art gallery that unites La casa Arthouse with the Bobblehaus fashion brand. It is a space that was born in the Williamsburg neighborhood (Brooklyn) at the end of 2020, and that combines a wide group of artists from different disciplines. I was lucky enough to meet them and the idea came up right away, since they had permission to intervene on this wall, “he explains.
Also, at this time, The Galician artist has several of her works exhibited in the gallery, It is about six works in acrylic on wood that together form the series Geometric garden.
To embrace again
Vanesa has lived this difficult year for everyone away from her homeland, from her family and from the friends she always thinks of “every day”. Something that has been present in your last job. As he points out, “actually, the message on the wall, the We will hug again (we will hug again) is a message for them too. Of course it is my contribution to the community, trying to fill with color and optimism a Brooklyn where winter is going to be very hard, but my loved ones were always on the other side of the pond, whom I am looking forward to hugging. “
In these months of pandemic, of uncertainty, and with half a heart thousands of kilometers away, he also came to Vanesa Álvarez and her husband Marcos the best gift of 2020: the birth of their first child, León. “It has made us live this pandemic in a more optimistic way, full of hope for what was to come. It is true that we really want to present it to the family, and we are sad that this cannot happen until everything is more controlled but, being all healthy, we feel happy and the moment will come soon, “he says.
From the city of Vigo, Vanesa says that what she misses the most is its sea. “Here we also have the sea and we enjoy the beach in summer, but it is not close to the close relationship we have with our estuary. Very closely followed, I miss the bars of Vigo and its people, my dear Rogelio Abalde, the Casco Vello … And, of course, being in any of these settings with friends and family “, underlines the artist from Vigo.
Rosalía de Castro and Castelao also live in New York
Whether from Vigo or New York, Galicia has never strayed from the heart and brush of this Vigo artist. His first mural in the North American city was at Casa Galicia with Rosalía de Castro as the protagonist, and a year later he also painted Castelao in the main hall. In addition, it continues working with Galicia from there. “I continue with the murals of the Expostas project, with which we annually empower women, participating in the” Vigo, Cidade de Cor “party wall program and last year I illustrated a wonderful text by María Reimondez, My grandma and chin, published by Editorial Alvarellos “, says Álvarez.
For this year he’s working on another picture book, though he says the surprise can’t be revealed yet. In addition, together with her husband, the poet Marcos de la Fuente, she continues to organize the Kerouac Festival, so she is, despite the distance, very linked to the Community and in continuous contact with Galician poets and institutions.
Vanesa assures that Vigo and New York have very similar characteristics in some respects, such as the mixture of nature and the industrial. “Many people think that New York is just concrete, and it is not. The longer I live here the more I am amazed by the green spaces and the wild nature 30 minutes from Manhattan. When it mixes with the river, the shipyards, the containers and the water tanks, it reminds me a lot of Vigo. “In addition, he says that in a recent visit to a new art gallery called Locker Room, in his neighborhood, he environment underground It reminded him a lot of spaces that also exist in Vigo.
On the opposite side, Among the things that most differentiate the olive city from the North American, stands out “unfortunately, the consideration and treatment given to the artist. In Vigo, when they ask about your profession, you rarely say that you are an artist, because strange looks are always awakened, full of skepticism that generate insecurity. Here you can say very loudly, everyone has great respect for the artist and culture. ”
Vanesa assures, however, that she has always felt very supported in Vigo, “I have been able to work and express myself artistically and for that I am grateful, but in this respect this city is very different. I hope that Vigo is becoming more and more like the Big Apple in that way! “
From graphic design to artistic creation
As she explains herself, it has a very graphic style. “You can tell I’m coming from design,” he says. With a very powerful use of color, love of geometric patterns and use of the word In her creations, Vanesa has come to build her own style that can be appreciated throughout her career.
“Many muralists imagine the wall as a large canvas, but I imagine it as a large poster. As for the message, I always try to be optimistic and to contribute some reflection, that it has content, not being left alone in aesthetics. One of my jobs here is to be Professor of Public Art, working with the youth of the community on social justice. I love painting collaborative murals! ”
