Paola Beck

I happen to live in a country that is paradise. No matter in what direction you go, or you travel, you find unexpected magic places full of energy and history. A very dear friend of mine from Athens, Ino Karella, came to visit me for 2 weeks.

We did an amazing trip to Tulum and Chiapas. two completely opposite worlds. And here, I share for the first time pictures I took on the trip, which is how I find inspiration. By getting to know new places and vibes, and state of minds. This is the first part, as a thankful tribute to the caribbean sea.

I hope you enjoy them! with very much love, I post this to celebrate also the fresh start of a new year.

HAVE A SMOOTH 2012!!!

love and peace for all of us

This is a stalactite cavern called Cenote Dos ojos.

Some pictures taken by Ino Karella, who happens to be a big artist: http://inokarella.com/

These are the T-shirts, bags, stickers and pins I did for Atto & The Majestics, for the Vive Latino Music Festival, 2011, in Mexico City. Thanks to the models from Rêves Agency, the styling from mexican fashion designer Roberto Sanchez and my official photographer, Alvaro Nates.

Alvaro Nates: http://setanphoto.tumblr.com/

Roberto Sanchez: http://robertosanchezonline.com/

Rêves Agency: revesagency@gmail.com

For half a year I worked with mexican rock band Atto & The Majestics, doing all the visuals for them, from their logo, corporate identity, graphic design, pictures to their artwork on cd´s, t-shirts, and merchandise for the Vive Latino Music Festival in Mexico City, 2011.

This is the double CD Bifocal, that came out in the summer 2010, by Imperial Records. It was very interesting and hard work to do this project, and it was the first time I did such a long and vast work for a band, I am very happy and thankful Atto chose me as an artist to do all this. Hopefully we´ll collaborate again soon

http://www.attoandthemajestics.com/

Pictures by Alvaro Nates: http://setanphoto.tumblr.com/

The picture of the girl on the cover is from a fashion photographer I admire a lot, called Alvaro Puentes, and I found it in my collage chaos, but I havent found his website! you are welcome to share it if you know it or him.

In November musician and visual artist Natalia Lafourcade invited me to do an illustration and painting workshop at her house in Mexico City, and we organized an intensive weekend of different lessons, with two visual artists as guests. Rafael Uriegas and Cocolvú .

We had lots of fun, and we did illustration, painting, collage, wallpainting, life model draw, modern painting and contemporary art (theory), proportion and shadows.

Here a few pictures of the 1st workshop, the next one will be early next year! ill keep you posted!

My very talented graphic designer friend Laura contacted me from Rome, saying that an independent film festival about suburbs wanted me to do their image and visuals, celebrating their 5th Aniversary.

I was inspired in the very strong, almost viewable border between center and suburbs in cities like Rome or Paris.

Pictures like this will always stay in my memory, and I feel honored to have had a collaboration with them, and support very much the idea of getting rid of the imaginary lines.

This is a sort of tribute to this city that gave me so much, where I learned so much and made me so happy. Here the drafts:

Poster

Program

Visioni Fuori Raccordo Film Festival:

http://www.fuoriraccordo.it/

Laura Mencarelli:

http://www.beltanedesign.it

Grazie pellegrina!

I was invited by an artist I admire a lot, Jorge Alderete, to be part of a group exhibition held in Vértigo, his gallery in Mexico City, for their 2nd Aniversary.

Jorge Alderete: http://www.jorgealderete.com/

Vértigo: http://vertigogaleria.com/

We where more than 50 artists, from Mexico and other countries, mainly illustrators and designers.

The show was about Death. And the feeling every artist had about it, making a tribute to prehispanic Tzompantlis, walls of skulls of all the sacrificed people as a tribute to the gods. Or at least thats what I did.

My piece was called “And the joker laughs at you ha ha ha”. Its acrylic on wood.

No sombrero is an exhibition that gathers several young mexican artists and designers to show the world that the new creative mexican comes with No Sombrero. This means that nowadays we don’t need the super cliché and folkloric image to have a cultural identity as a country.

The exhibition is taking place in Brooklyn, NY. Opening the 29th of November, until the 10th of December 2011.

This exhibition is expected to be the first of many cultural events that take Mexico to other cities of the world, to show an updated view of our young cultural emerging scene.

My piece is about violence and love. Both sides of the reality of living in Mexico, where a war is destroying our country and our people, but at the same time, normal life goes on, and no one seems to notice what´s really happening.