Mission artist explores Hispanic traditions through sculptures, 'words of wisdom'
SAN FRANCISCO -- A new art exhibit opening in San Francisco's Mission district on Saturday is celebrating Hispanic tradition through sculpture.
Each tap of the hammer evokes a memory. Each one lives strongly in the mind of Javier Pérez and in the soul of some sculptures that give life to a dream of many, many years.
That dream has been stirring like coffee for over 30 years in a Mission District coffee shop, where Javier meets his partner Joe every morning before starting the day.
"I've always been hanging out in the Mission, where I felt like it was more home," Pérez said.
And it still is, especially because Pérez said he feels like he belongs when he opens the coffee shop's door. He enters a world of cultures and colors that celebrates his Mexican-American heritage. A world full of Spanish words and familiar faces, full of stories in every corner
He brings those stories to life at his second home, the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. That dream living powerfully in his mind will soon become a reality.
Perez is beginning to shape that vision with a new exhibition in one of the center's galleries. The installation entitled "Heart-Speak: Dichos de Mi Padre" honors his father, Don Fermin Pérez, and his strong attachment and appreciation of "dichos," or words of wisdom.
"I decided to pick a couple of dichos and turn them into art and have them represented in this spot in the museum," Pérez said has he held his favorite sculpture, called "Más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando." That translates to something like "A bird in the hand is better than a hundred in the air," but it has a deeper meaning in Spanish.
"It's about friendship. It's about companionship. It's about filling your life with somebody that you can rely on and somebody that you are good friends with," he explained.
That is the message the artist hopes visitors take home with them. Not just Latinos, but everyone. Because much as each tap of the hammer evokes a memory, each art installation is a big part of his story.
"What is so important for Latinos is familia. And familia is probably the circle in the unity of their strength, of their spine, and their whole love passion," said Pérez.
The exhibit opens at the center on Saturday, February 4. with an opening reception that runs from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.