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Greetings from The Valley:
Postcards Series

In the face of gentrification and rapid development in The Valley, I've witnessed the erosion of our community's culture and identity. For me, home transcends mere physical space; it embodies my heritage, family legacy, and the collective memories of generations rooted in The Valley.

Turning to socially engaged art, I've embarked on a mission to safeguard the iconography and culture of The Valley. By documenting our history and cherished landmarks, I strive to ensure they aren't overshadowed by progress.

Through my art, I seek to shed light on the detrimental effects of gentrification, especially on marginalized residents. My aim is to foster solidarity and mobilize action to shield our community from displacement and cultural loss.

I firmly believe in the transformative power of art to advocate for social justice and community engagement. With this project, featuring pre-addressed postcards to my home in The Valley, I endeavor to preserve the richness and diversity of our cherished community

Greetings from The Valley

4" x 6" 

November 2021

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Left in a place longing for home, missing my family, and the city I grew up in, I decided to channel this feeling into writing postcards to my family and capturing conversations we had in the days leading up to my next visit. 

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This piece is a reconstruction of my piece El Valle, which can be seen below, both pieces follow similar themes and focus on my upbringing in The Valley, aka the San Fernando Valley / 818 / SFV, and how it has become part of my identity and influences my artistic direction. I got inspired after seeing an archive of postcards that were from Mexican Revolution and how these slice-of-life images are captured during a time of political and social turmoil. 

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The Illustrations on each postcards are each tied to a specific memory, feeling, or just location that means a lot to me or is just a symbol I associate with my time in The Valley. This project has become even more important to me now as The Valley is currently facing attempts of gentrification, essentially erasing the rich culture that uniquely exists here and the people who made The Valley home.

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Close ups of the front and back of the design of each card

Related Work

El Valle, 2019, Digital Illustration

mapa de mi mundo, acrylic on paper, 2021

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