Latin-X Artists Network
Image description: A landscape photograph of Peckham Square from a birds-eye view. In the foreground is Peckham Squares arched/curved roof, the open space beneath the roof, steps that lead to Peckham High Street Road. To the right of the open space is a neon green and pink building - Peckham Platform. In the background is a turquoise building - Peckham Library, a grass space and the London Skyline.
Despite being the fastest growing migrant community in the UK, many of us feel that community spaces for Latinx people are few and far between and even more so for those working within the cultural sector, where we are usually made invisible. We want to create a space where social artists can come together, meet each other, gather and create community.
There is so much to be discussed and explored in what it means to do social practice work in the UK as a migrant and create a space to hold the experience of diaspora and understand the intersectional experience of Latin-American migrant artists. As a Latinx community we also hold diversity across nationalities, race and ethnicity and aim to create a space that acknowledges the differences whilst also holding and acknowledging our common experiences and struggle. We want to create a space that is informed by these experiences where we can create solidarity with each other, across our projects and create a supportive space for us, by us and about us.
In our meetups we will discuss what we might want from a Latinx SAN group and begin to plot out the support we need, the challenges we face and how we want to hold joyful resistance and creativity in our communities.
This space is open to Latinx people only. This includes anyone who is from Latin American heritage, first/second/+ generation migrants, and those who were born/ grew up outside Latin America whose links to their home countries may be through the diaspora. We welcome all hybrid Latinx experiences!
What do we mean by social artists? Our definition of social art is intentionally broad, we welcome those who actively work with communities and social issues in their practice as well as those who are looking to move into this space with their work. We welcome artists working in any medium whose work focuses on community collaboration, social justice, equality and creative co-authorship.
The space welcomes English, Spanish & Portuguese speakers. To be able to host as many experiences as possible, we are committed to language justice and acknowledging that we are all entering the space with different experiences – we welcome everyone to bring their mother tongue and the collective will find ways of translating and communicating across languages.
Join US FOR OUR Upcoming Meetup!
FRIDAY 5TH AUGUST, 5pm - 8pm
Location:
PECKHAM PLATFORM,
Peckham Square, 89 Peckham High St, London, England, SE15 5RS
Host Biographies
José García Oliva - Host
José García Oliva is a Venezuelan artist based in London. His work is situated on the clash between diasporic identity, labour and cultural heritage. These collisions are explored through the Latin American legacy and its echo in Europe. Oliva’s practice is research-led and multidisciplinary and aims to react to the hidden socio-political oppression and exposes it through participatory performances or public interventions. The outcome of his work is usually the enactment of these social exchanges and provocations shaped by the commons and site-specificity. Oliva graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2020 and currently teaches at Kingston School of Art and Ravensbourne University.
Image Description: A portrait photo of Latin-x man with short dark brown hair and a beard. He wears a navy blue shirt and thin rimmed circular glasses.
Anahi Saravia Herrera (she/her)
London-based writer, producer, and community organiser. Anahi is physically based in the “west” but as much as possible, creates work situated in the Latinx diaspora, she was born in La Paz, Bolivia. Her practice revolves around a creative research process that leads to creating anything from playlists and sounds to writing, collaborating with others, and performances at the intersection of the everyday. It is a collaborative, process-led practice driven by intuition and moments of gathering. Archives and language are a core part of her practice and she often works from a collected archive of memories, sounds, notes, and family photographs. Creative methods of exploring the politics of feminism and anti-racism are at the forefront of Anahi’s practice. She is interested in how we can use creative means to make critical perspectives public. She is an organizer with feminist groups such as the Feminist Assembly of Latin Americans as well as the Designer and Cultural Workers Union.
Instagram: @anahi_saravia
Image Description: A black and white photo of a latin-x woman smiling in a black t-shirt.
Sonnia Margarita Montes
I was born in Colombia and I feel lucky enough to be raised by a maker in a crafty home, my mum inspired me in different crafty ideas. In the 2000 I travelled to London and after a few years I had the opportunity to take part in a Community Art training through ACE (Arts community exchange) and to also work at Clapham Park Project at different events and festivals in Lambeth. With the support of Clapham Park Project I was able to create ‘Inspiring families’ through the arts and language.
I studied Fine Art at Central Saint Martins and have taken mentoring with People United. Living in a multicultural place fascinates me and this led me to explore the meaning of ordinary narratives, the layers beneath personal and collective lived experiences; I’m interested in the subtle, in the voice that is hidden, in the interpretations that throughout the ages whisper the same resonance yet individuality. My work spans from text, poetry, mixed media, printmaking to installations. I’ve taken part in various personal and collective exhibitions and social engaged projects; many of these encourage expressing the idea of a collective work in images, and text to which participants made contributions. I’m currently working at St. George’s Arts Centre in Gravesend and as a freelance artist.
Website: www.tatesy.com
Image Description: A latin-x woman with long hair and a colourful scarf from Otavalo over a red jacket.
R.M. Sánchez-Camus (Marcelo) – SAN LDN Líder / Lead
Marcelo is a UK-based creative practitioner born in New York City to parents who emigrated from Chile. His experiences living in Pinochet’s dictatorship, watching 911 unfold from a rooftop, and post-brexit Britain have shaped his interest in democratising culture through collaborative works of art. He aims to uncover social narratives while giving a space for reflection. His practice incorporates community co-authorship into installation, performance, and text with a focus on co-creation, participation, psychogeography, and community wellbeing.
Marcelo is Director of Applied Live Art Studio (ALAS) a social art practice studio. His interest is in democratising culture through collaborative works of art that uncover social narratives while giving a space for reflection. He also builds support and exchange systems for communities, creative practitioners, art workers, and scholars working in and invested in cultural democracy.
Social media: @appliedliveart
Website: www.appliedliveart.com
Image description: Portrait of a latin-x man with cropped beard and hair wearing a white polo printed with animals and plants. His arms are crossed and he has a large Araucaria tree tattooed down one arm.