Paul Valadez
American
Person TypeIndividual
BiographyPaul Valadez was born in San Francisco and raised in the Central Valley of California during the pressing social changes of the 1960s and 70s. He was raised in a bi-cultural family, his mother’s side being Anglo/white and his father’s side being Mexican. Feeling like he never really fit in, Valadez was confronted by his identity in his everyday life. When he spent time with his mother’s side of the family, he was perceived as white. When he spent time with his father’s side of the family, he was perceived as Mexican. As a child, Valadez felt like he was unable to identify with aspects of Mexican culture. He specifically struggled with language. Valadez did not know much Spanish and Spanish was never spoken with his white family members. However, his father’s family rarely spoke English. Valadez was unable to communicate with the Mexican side of his family, making it hard for him to connect to his Mexican identity. His maternal grandfather, from the Anglo/white side, served in the Navy during the Second World War. His grandfather never saw combat during the war, only working as a machinist in California shipyards. One of Valadez’ exhibitions focused on the “loss and regret and disappointment” his grandfather felt from not being able to serve during the war. Valadez’ fraternal grandfather, from the Mexican side, also served in the Second World War- and saw combat- but the family never discussed it. Valadez felt like his Mexican identity and the identity of many other Mexicans was not represented and appreciated to the extent it should be.As an adult, Valadez moved to San Francisco to pursue a career in art. He earned his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary art from the San Francisco Art Institute and his master’s in studio art from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where he was awarded a Weiss Fellowship for Urban Livability. His work has been displayed in museums and institutions across the world. He is a professor in the Art department at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, located at the U.S.-Mexican border. Valadez uses his bi-cultural identity, childhood memories, geographic region, daily life, and modern social issues to influence his art. Much of his work uses satire and social commentary to engage the viewer and spread messages. Many of his pieces highlight the problem of discrimination towards minorities. He specifically uses text in much of his art, making us second guess the meanings of Spanish and English words, challenging the concept of language.Valadez is best known for his series The Great Mexican-American Songbook. This book included pieces of sheet music and cover art merged with “Spanglish” text and iconography. The project created a diverse, Mexican-American identity that Valadez did not have as a child. This series is a parody to “The Great American Songbook,” an undefined collection of songs that are considered to be “all-American. ” The range of songs being very diverse, with little to no organization. Valadez uses the idea of combining diverse songs to counter the dichotomy of the history of his Anglo/white and Mexican backgrounds.Magazines were a very important part of his childhood. Wherever he went, he would find magazines and scan the pages for pictures. He found American magazines when he was with his mother’s side of the family and compared them to the Mexican magazines he saw with his father’s side of the family. Magazines captured the essence of the division of identity he felt during his childhood. The parallels and the disconnections he felt between the two types of magazines continued to influence his life and are reflected in The Great Mexican-American Songbook series.Despite depicting his under-represented Mexican identity, Valadez doesn’t think his audience should only see his perspective. He wants his viewers to understand his art “without knowing what was going on in [his] mind when [he] was making it.” The people who view his work should see it differently depending on their own background and identity, delving deep within the layers of themselves.
