Living Walls Abroad: Making Modern Monuments is an international exchange program that gives LGBTQIA+ artists in two cities the creative freedom to take up space and imagine new monuments. In 2023, Living Walls hosted the exchange between Atlanta and Cuidad Satélite, a somewhat forgotten town that sits right outside of Mexico City. Atlanta artist Jasmine Nicole Williams and Mexican artist Daniel Villela worked alongside the arts & culture festival SATÉLITE M17 to explore the ways their cultural history and celebration can be interpreted into modern monuments.
Jasmine Nicole Williams is a Black American visual artist and organizer from Atlanta, GA. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Art in Printmaking from the University of West Georgia in 2017. Her work explores her southern, black, and femme identities through printmaking and murals to inspire people to dive deeper into their humanity. Influenced by the work of artists like Elizabeth Catlett and Emory Douglas, Jasmine believes in the transformative power of portraiture, print, and public art.
Daniel Villela is an artist originally from Cuidad Satélite who has been living and working in Oaxaca, Mexico for the past decade. During his time in Oaxaca, he learned traditional textile and printmaking techniques with artisanal roots. His recent work combines contemporary and traditional techniques in the development of canvases, wearables, and large-scale works. With this exploration, he has developed an obsession with patterns in maps and the concept of identity in place.
This mural combines Jasmine and Daniel’s styles and passions. Villela pondered memories and moments that marked his life in his childhood and teenage years and channeled text and patterns that induced those memories. Williams used her signature style to create a portrait of Elizbeth Catlett, an African-American printmaker who found her voice when she moved to Mexico in the 50s. Catlett’s story instills hope that you can find yourself and your community that supports you. ProducerHomero Fernández Segura Photo & VideoMaría José Arteaga
Un agradecimiento especial a SATÉLITE M17 y a los vecinos de Cuidad Satélite, México.
