Artist Spotlight-ArtSpan Open Studios Guide 2014
TALAVERA BALLON
What drives you to create art? What is your role as an artist?
Through my artwork, I seek to preserve buildings and people against the forces of irrational progress and development. Before I moved to San Francisco, I lived in my home country, Peru. There, my main concern as a painter was to preserve the celebrations and customs of the people, their daily lives, and their work in the fields. Here, as a painter in the Mission, I’d like to preserve people against the forces of displacement and gentrification, especially those who are most vulnerable, like working-class immigrants. I want their presence to be even more visiblie in their communities and I’m currently working on a series of large-scale portraits in hopes of increasing their visibility.
What does resilience mean to you?
Resilience means continuing to work in the face of rapidly changing times, striving to find inspiration in the city’s new landscape, and transforming adverse circumstances into subjects to be explored and brought to the attention of the public. I believe artists can be agents of change by raising awareness. I hope that the new series of paintings I am working on contributes to a deeper understanding of the struggle and resilience of the less privileged populations in San Francisco and brings a face to those who are often unseen.
Source: http://guide.artspan.org/2014/artistspotlights.html