INTERVIEW: Artist M. Tony Peralta honors powerful, iconic Latin women
With his latest project, artist M. Tony Peralta is celebrating the unique power and contributions of Latin women throughout history. Rolos + Icons features screen-printed paintings of many important historical figures, all of them wearing hair rollers (rolos in Spanish). Among the subjects are Frida Kahlo, Celia Cruz and Selena, among others.
The collection of paintings is now on display at the Mexican Consulate on 6th Street in Los Angeles. The exhibition continues through May 12, and audiences can also take home posters of the images ($50 each on Peralta’s website).
Female empowerment is an important theme in Peralta’s work, and his art has been on the radar of the Smithsonian, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz, among others.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Peralta about the new exhibition. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What inspired you to create the Rolos & Icons collection?
In 2011, I had an exhibit called Complejo, and [in] that series, I had an art piece called ‘Doña con Rolos.’ The piece was of a woman in hair rollers. The piece got such a great reaction that I wanted to continue with the theme. A few years later I got the idea to create art pieces … of iconic Latina women in hair rollers. The first one I created was the ‘Frida con Rolos,’ and the other ladies followed right after.
How did you select the women to be featured in the show?
The majority of women in the collection are women that I grew up admiring — from Frida Kahlo being my favorite artist to Celia Cruz being one of the only Afro-Latina women that I saw growing up on TV that I related to.
When did you first get into graphic design and art?
I’ve always been into art. As a kid, I filled my notebook with doodles and drawings. Throughout my school years, I was always in a special class where I would have art class as part of my curriculum. I got into graphic design when I went to college and learned about computer graphics. During my first year in college is when Photoshop was first out in the market and been using it ever since.
Who are your artistic influences? Do they continue to inspire?
My artistic influences are Frida Kahlo, Salvador Dali, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol and most of my artist friends. All these artists always inspire me because I hope to become as great as they are someday. When I go to a museum and I see a Warhol or Keith Haring piece, I light up and get excited.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
M. Tony Peralta’s new exhibition, Rolos & Icons, is currently on view at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles. Click here for more information.
