Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Large mural unveiled at strip mall in Tijuana

Movimiento Artístico Red Mental has done this work before

It was a cold and windy Saturday evening when I made my way to the Otay area of Tijuana for the unveiling of a 70.5´ x 23´ mural in the back of a strip mall named Plaza Comercial Vilmao.

The invitation booked guests at 4 p.m., but they did not start arriving until an hour later. Organizers closed the street, security guards were posted on both sides of the painted wall, and a dozen tall tables were set up in front of it. White, transparent sheets covered the mural with gaps in between. The wind did not help keep the mural obscured.

A tent had other works by the artists Lucia Rivera and Simi “Búho” Villamil from their “Movimiento Artístico Red Mental” co-op. Under the same tent, four hostesses wore tiny black dresses representing the different brands that sponsored the mural. The young ladies shivered from the cold. They offered coffee, cheese, cold cuts, sushi, and virgin piña coladas.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The event was improvised throughout the evening. The person in charge of introducing the artists to the stage was unprepared and seemed to struggle with reading. An incorrectly introduced keyboard player who wore a zebra-print fedora took the stage to entertain the guests before the unveiling.

Rivera took the stage with zebra-hat keyboard guy

Lucia Rivera, the painter who is also a singer, joined the keyboardist to sing some tunes. A philosopher by the name of Gerardo Navarro Nemónico then took the stage to state how he feels about modern-day art. Finally, at around 6:30 p.m. when it was too dark to appreciate the mural, the sheets were scrolled up to reveal the work.

The finished mural

Dalai Lama and Stephen Hawking appear to the left; the middle depicts a labyrinth representing the human brain with what appears to be an eagle hovering over it; and on the right side, Noam Chomsky and Gabriel García Márquez.

“The administrator for Plaza Vilmao was the one that contacted us,” said Rivera. “She [the administrator] went by when we were painting the Steve Jobs mural, took pictures, and later talked to the owner of the mall. It was paid for by all the [businesses in] the mall…."

“We chose those four characters because they represent art, science, philosophy, and spirituality,” said Rivera. “We originally wanted Jodorowsky instead of Márquez, but the owner rejected the original project; he actually wanted all the characters to be Mexican, but we refused. The mural is named Libertad Colectiva por Medio del Conocimiento ”("Collective freedom through knowledge").

Video:

Mural unveiling

Since they painted the Steve Jobs mural, their movement grew popular quick. They have been interviewed by local media and appeared on TV discussing their plans. They painted Nelson Mandela shortly after his death a couple of blocks away from their original Jobs mural in Playas de Tijuana.

I told Lucia that this seemed like they were selling out. She replied, “We didn't have the intention to paint murals in malls, but the opportunity was there and we took advantage of it. We're planning to go to other places in Mexico, probably Guadalara or Mexico City. We plan to take the movement to San Diego and other places in the USA when Búho gets his visa.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Next Article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches

It was a cold and windy Saturday evening when I made my way to the Otay area of Tijuana for the unveiling of a 70.5´ x 23´ mural in the back of a strip mall named Plaza Comercial Vilmao.

The invitation booked guests at 4 p.m., but they did not start arriving until an hour later. Organizers closed the street, security guards were posted on both sides of the painted wall, and a dozen tall tables were set up in front of it. White, transparent sheets covered the mural with gaps in between. The wind did not help keep the mural obscured.

A tent had other works by the artists Lucia Rivera and Simi “Búho” Villamil from their “Movimiento Artístico Red Mental” co-op. Under the same tent, four hostesses wore tiny black dresses representing the different brands that sponsored the mural. The young ladies shivered from the cold. They offered coffee, cheese, cold cuts, sushi, and virgin piña coladas.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The event was improvised throughout the evening. The person in charge of introducing the artists to the stage was unprepared and seemed to struggle with reading. An incorrectly introduced keyboard player who wore a zebra-print fedora took the stage to entertain the guests before the unveiling.

Rivera took the stage with zebra-hat keyboard guy

Lucia Rivera, the painter who is also a singer, joined the keyboardist to sing some tunes. A philosopher by the name of Gerardo Navarro Nemónico then took the stage to state how he feels about modern-day art. Finally, at around 6:30 p.m. when it was too dark to appreciate the mural, the sheets were scrolled up to reveal the work.

The finished mural

Dalai Lama and Stephen Hawking appear to the left; the middle depicts a labyrinth representing the human brain with what appears to be an eagle hovering over it; and on the right side, Noam Chomsky and Gabriel García Márquez.

“The administrator for Plaza Vilmao was the one that contacted us,” said Rivera. “She [the administrator] went by when we were painting the Steve Jobs mural, took pictures, and later talked to the owner of the mall. It was paid for by all the [businesses in] the mall…."

“We chose those four characters because they represent art, science, philosophy, and spirituality,” said Rivera. “We originally wanted Jodorowsky instead of Márquez, but the owner rejected the original project; he actually wanted all the characters to be Mexican, but we refused. The mural is named Libertad Colectiva por Medio del Conocimiento ”("Collective freedom through knowledge").

Video:

Mural unveiling

Since they painted the Steve Jobs mural, their movement grew popular quick. They have been interviewed by local media and appeared on TV discussing their plans. They painted Nelson Mandela shortly after his death a couple of blocks away from their original Jobs mural in Playas de Tijuana.

I told Lucia that this seemed like they were selling out. She replied, “We didn't have the intention to paint murals in malls, but the opportunity was there and we took advantage of it. We're planning to go to other places in Mexico, probably Guadalara or Mexico City. We plan to take the movement to San Diego and other places in the USA when Búho gets his visa.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader Music Issue short takes

Obervatory's mosh pit, frenetic Rafael Payare, Lemonhead chaos, bleedforthescene, Coronado Tasting Room
Next Article

Making Love to Goats, Rachmaninoff, and Elgar

Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.