Paul Valadez Exhibition

Artwork of Mexican-American Artist Paul Valadez is being exhibited in the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Center

Paul Valadez was raised in Stockton, California, and later relocated to San Francisco to pursue his passion for art. He earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary art from the San Francisco Art Institute. Later, he earned his Master of Fine Arts in the Department of Art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was awarded the Weiss Fellowship for Urban Livability. Currently, he teaches in the Art department at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, located in Edinburg, Texas, near the U.S./Mexico border. For Valadez, identity has always been an important issue. He discovered that food was the thing that explained identity more than anything else. His paintings of food emphasize spices whose smell and texture are part of a portrayal of homemade memories. In general, his work is invigorated by childhood memories of growing up in a bi-cultural household in the Central Valley of California during the social climatic changes of the 1960s and 70s. Still, he emphasizes the importance of his drawings not as fixed narratives, but as open interpretations. This approach invites personal reflection and engagement, making the artwork more meaningful through the diverse perspectives it evokes. Some of his original pieces from the series Mysteries of Mexican Food, and Icons are currently displayed in the our community room at HJP 4112. We invite you to visit us and get to know more about this amazing artist.