Bienvenidos! To my little Cultura (POP) Corner.
Here you will read a bit about history, books and a lot of nostalgia... but first a bit of my historia as a Designer, Mexican Immigrant and, of course, MexiconsArt.
MexiconsArt started in 2001 in Tijuana with a class in college called “Geneaología del Objecto Mexicano,” The Genealogy of the Mexican Object. In this class, we had to dig deep into our roots and transform something old into a new product. So I decided to play with Mexican icons such as Frida Kahlo, El Santo, Diego Rivera, and different Mexican landmarks and transform them into a memory game. At this time, my art was heavily influenced by Japanese animation. So the look that I gave them was very graphic, minimal and easy to read for the consumer.
I really enjoyed the process and the end result, so when I started to think about a subject for my Graphic Design thesis in 2002, I went back to the icons and developed teaching materials, such as a coloring book for kindergartners to learn about the different amazing Mexican icons that we have.
When I moved to the USA in 2007 I really craved my community and while looking for design opportunities I started going to art and design shows and events to network. I noticed that there was a hole in the market for Mexican representation to be mainstream. So while I worked full time, went to school to reaccredit my Graphic Design career, my gut was telling me to go back to basics… go back to my Mexicons. So I took the plunge around 2010, and started doing pop-ups, farmers markets and participating in art consignment events in San Diego. In 2013, I started to move a bit north and noticed that there was a bigger demand in the Los Angeles area for a connection to our Mother Land.
All thru these years, my Mexicons have slowly grown into coloring books, wrapping paper, apparel, enamel pins and more! But the focus is still the same. That is the loving expansion of the representation of Mexican icons thru the eyes of a child as well as the connection that these vintage icons can make in the relationships of different generations in the family, as it did with me and my grandfather.
So thank you for sticking with me all thru these years and if you have a dream, keep at it… cause “los sueños no se cumplen, se trabajan”
Con amor,
Haydeé
All images copyright by Haydee Yanez and MexiconsArt