Week 3 Artist: Manuela Guillen

Manuela Guillen is a Cuban / Salvadorian painter, muralist, and digital illustrator based in North Philadelphia. Manuela has made murals in various locations throughout the US and Mexico. Though she is an artist through all aspects of her life, her day to day job is that of a Spanish Art Teacher. I found the work of Manuela Guillen through my partner who had actually been following her on Instagram for quite some time. Her art immediately caught my eye because something about it just felt so spiritual almost. The topics of her art usually pertain to immigration, voting rights, social and political awareness, and anti-capitalism. The work of Manuela is appealing to me because she uses such soft, comforting drawings and colors to discuss such serious, and often sad, topics. The reason she focuses so much on posting her art on Instagram and public murals is because she believes art should be accessible to anyone, and the topics she discusses through her art, such as women empowerment and immigration rights, should be seen by the whole public, not just select few who have access to websites. For this reason, she just goes around Philadelphia posting up her designs throughout her community to raise awareness.

This image depicts a woman letting birds and flowers fly away while the sun shines down on them. This image spoke to me because it is just such a simple yet elegant way of demanding the rights of these children locked in cages.

This image depicts a woman sitting surrounded by plants that says "Take up Space". The reason this image caught my eye is because it was a reminder that it is okay to just exist. People are so often judged solely on what they can offer to society or how much they work, but it is okay to just take time for yourself and enjoy life. I also liked how the plants around her are so many shades of green. It feels as if she was trying to show that all plants do is breath and live their lives and that is okay, just like how people should.