Today we’d like to introduce you to Camilo Villa.
Camilo, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’m a Colombian artist and educator. In 2014 I decided to study in San Francisco, California, a city that has nurtured my creativity and influenced my artistic practice. In May 2018 I obtained my Bachelor of Fine Arts with a minor in Social Action and Public Forms from the California College of the Arts.
“Baila Conmigo” is the name of my college thesis which aims to build spaces for the Latinx queer community through dance, comedy, literature, and performance where stereotypes about binary genders are not perpetuated in order to fix our attention on other verbal and corporal expressions that amplify the voices of the LGBTQI community.
The first phase of the project invites queer Latinx people to occupy public spaces of the cities to the rhythm of Latin beats. Besides livening the daily routine of citizens, this project aims to create a community through dance, a non-verbal body language that unites people. The dance is documented through videos and photographs that are then translated into posters, collage and human scale textile representations of dancers.
The second phase of the project has been to collaborate with Diego Martinez, a journalist and media producer born in Venezuela. We have been able to create a monthly event starting September 2018 in which we congregate the community in a bar called “The Port Bar” at 2023 Broadway, Oakland, California with the goal of establishing a community free of rainbow capitalism and full of feminist, queer liberation.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Camilo is a Colombian artist who utilizes his creative practice as a visibility platform. He is committed to unveiling oppressive systems to recreate alternative communities. His love for craft and performance intersect in order to communicate symbolic narratives that encourage conversation about the role of art within social justice. He is currently working on the Baila Conmigo Project, which invites queer Latinx people to occupy iconic public spaces of cities to the rhythm of Latin beats. Besides livening the daily routine of citizens, this project aims to create community through dance, a non-verbal body language that brings people together. The dance is documented through video and photographs that are then translated into vibrant posters, stencils, collages, and life-size human representations of the dancers.
Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
Gentrification has made it very hard for artists to continue making relevant work they are passionate about. With this said, I think life has become harder for artists in recent years, as tech companies continue to monopolize creative cities, making rent very inaccessible.
I think cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco should do a better job at regulating rent prices and creating initiatives that protect and guarantee housing for artists.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
People can support my work by following me on my social media (below) and by making my work visible. I also have a solo show coming up the 7th of February at Root Division in SF.
Contact Info:
- Address: 580 Capell St
- Website: camilovillastudio.com
- Phone: 4156223023
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/camilovillastudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camilovillastudio/
Image Credit:
Camilo Villa
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