These past few days have been intense and busy. I’ve been promoting My Mission, planning my yearly Day of the Dead exhibit, and balancing other creative projects. Chief among them is my full blown committal to purikura as an art form. Today I spent the early afternoon with Ms. Margarita (AKA Margarita Azucar) for another round of purikura art making. We met up following her radio show on radiovalencia.fm. On our way to Pikapika in Japantown we stopped off at her apartment and I saw something that made me smile so much.

Seeing these two cans propping up a window in Margarita Azucar’s apartment instantly brought me back to my childhood and warmed my heart. Growing up in an old San Francisco Victorian apartment my parents used all sorts of object to prop open our windows. We used books, old toys, Lincoln Logs, and other random things to keep our windows open on a hot day. I’m hella nostalgic right now.

Our purikura session went great! Ms. Margarita rocked an awesome pink wig and busted out with some great poses for the photos, she was truly like a Chicana superhero. I’ll be scanning the photos and posting them in the new couple of days. Stay tuned!

Peace,

Rio

You can pick up a copy of it at Mission Comics & Art, Dog Eared Books, Needles and Pens, Aquarius Records, and Mission Pie. More stores will be carrying it soon and Galeria de la Raza’s Mini-Tienda will be carrying it for their 40th anniversary show reception.

This is a dream come true for me in so many ways. I’ve worked towards a published book of my work for so long and this is a major milestone in my career. My humblest thanks goes to Amanda Martinez and Lydia Chavez of Mission Loc@l for helping me get here.

Amanda and I taped an interview with DJ Aztec Parrot for Radio 2050 on KPFA 94.1. The show will air this Saturday at 6:30PM. Give us a listen, we talk a little about Mission District history, the book, and play some good music.

More to come on My Mission!

Rio

¡Aye Dios Mio! So this past weekend I met up with Meligrosa and the Calitexican (AKA Meli and Melyssa) in Japantown for a day of purikura adventures. I’ve been following their writing and photography for years and we finally all came together like Voltron to kick out the creative jams. Together we are the SMFF Crew (So Much Fuckin’ Fun!).

This round of purikura art making cemented the medium of Japanese photo booths as the means for me to realize my visions as a photographer. As with the last round of Homegirl Purikura, I only decorated a few photos myself. Instead I mostly facilitated Meli and Melyssa taking photos and decorating them. It’s been fascinating to watch how others choose to decorate their purikura images. I’ve learned a lot from each purikura collaborator I have worked with and each experience has helped me to refine my own style.

Even though I only decorated a handful of images this time around I’ve noticed how focused and deliberate my style choices have become. Meli and Melyssa were definitely the most intense and bombastic purikura decorators I’ve ever worked with and their images really inspired me. There’s a great contrast between my decorated images and theirs that illustrate the range of possibilities of purikura as an art medium. Once Meli and Melyssa got the hang of using the tablet pens and the dynamics of the decoration screens they both unleashed visions of cats, skulls, and starbursts the likes of which I have never seen before. Behold!

To see a full gallery of my Purikura works including all of the images created with Meli and Melyssa CLICK HERE.

Peace and Purikura,
Rio

Coming soon, a buncha purikura with Meligrosa, the Calitexican, and myself! Stay tuned!

Rio

It’s been a few days since I saw Girl in a Coma at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco but my head is still spinning from that crazy night. After getting out of my design class I raced to meet up with my homegirls Katynka and Robynn and we headed to Bottom of the Hill. This was my third time seeing Girl in a Coma and I was as starstruck as ever with being able to hang out with them after their show.

Um, *Swoon* Nina was super nice as always.

Jenn Alva continues to grow as an amazing artist. I already have a Girl in a Coma shirt designed by her but this one takes the cake. Jenn’s drawing of herself as a vampire, Phanie lifting off her own head, and Nina as their screaming victim made me smile from ear to ear. Katynka saved me by loaning me the $2.00 I needed to buy the shirt. Everyone in the band signed it for me and now I just have to find a way to frame it.

I was also super excited to run into Meligrosa and the Calitexican. I’ve followed their blogs and flickr pages for years and it was a thrill to experience the concert with them. These two awesome, energetic ladies made my night. We hopped up and down at the show like old friends. We have a purikura date planned for this weekend and I’m looking forward to seeing the results!

I was also a nerd and busted out my flip cam during the show and shot some video of Girl in a Coma doing their thing. Below are some highlights.

That’s it for now. I was so happy to see Girl in a Coma with old friends and new ones. The very first time I saw them was in 2008 at MACLA in San Jose. There were just a handful of people (including Guillermo Gomez-Pena) at that show so it felt good to finally see them play to sweaty throngs of people.

Peace,

Rio

The rumors are true! Rakel Delgado AKA La Pocha Catalana has landed in San Francisco. Rakel is a Spanish poet and performance artist who identifies as a Chicana and pocha. She creates The idea of a Spaniard adopting a Chicana aesthetic, sensibility, and approach to art is both fascinating and provocative. You can check out Rakel’s brand of poetry this Sunday at the Mission Cultural Center’s Floricanto en la Mision.

I’m really looking forward to meeting Rakel and giving her a tour of the Mission District (and possibly interviewing her for a podcast). Stay tuned for photos and news on Rakel’s adventures in San Francisco and the Mission District.

Peace,

Rio

Here’s the scoop on my big book project!

You’re invited to the launch party for Mission Loc@l’s My Mission, an oral history and map project illustrated by Rio Yañez

September 11th 7:00pm-11:00pm
Artillery Apparel & Gallery
2751 Mission St.

There will be Food, Drinks, and Music!

Plus! The event will also launch Mission Loc@l’s fly new t-shirts. After that you can buy shirts at Mission Skateboards on 24th Street, Artillery Apparel and Gallery on Mission Street or Mission Bikes on Valencia. Each shirt comes with a pin to mark your favorite Mission District hot spot. All proceeds will support future reporting projects. $15 each. Mission Loc@ls can order one with free delivery by e-mailing staff@missionlocal.org, subject line T-shirt.

Here’s a detail of the palatero’s cart from my cover to Mission Loc@l’s My Mission. Since the image will be printed relatively small I thought I’d share this detail so my Chola Pops and Hitachi Magic Wand can be appreciated.

Click on image to enlarge

Peace,

Rio

Mission Icons in a Time of Change

August 21st-29th, 2010
Opening Reception: Saturday August 21st, 8:00pm-10:00pm

The Levi’s Workshop
580 Valencia Street (at 17th)
San Francisco, CA 94110

This exhibition opening culminates a furious week of printmaking at
the Workshop by local artists Jesus Barraza, Melanie Cervantes, Art
Hazelwood, Txutxo Perez, Ivan Lopez, Rachel Anne Palacios, Ana Teresa
Fernandez and Jos Sances.  Curators Rene and Rio Yanez have partnered
with Plaza Adelante, the 19th street community center, to ask local
printmakers for their take on the ever-changing nature of the Mission
district.  Come to enjoy great art and our special tequila drinks, but
stay for The Great Tortilla Conspiracy.

To attend the opening reception please RSVP at:
http://workshops.levi.com/calendar/event/plaza-adelante-tortilla-conspiracy

Peace,

Rio

During our first session of Homegirl Purikura Mayra turned all sorts of heads in Japantown while she was decked out in her chola gear and persona. With Evil Rose in the mix we were a walking spectacle. Tourists who were in the area for the Nihonmachi Street Fair didn’t know what to make of us. Our presence was unavoidable.

Evil Rose was a natural Purikura artist, Mayra and I showed her the basics and she just took off with it.  Mayra also continued her unique and intense approach to her Purikura practice. I decorated a couple of images but for the most part I stood back as a facilitator for this session. It was a thrill to see this powerful pair of cholas team up and work as artists together.

Lastly, I finally got to try out The Cube, the newest Purikura booth at Pikapika. I can’t wait to share the images that came from it. It was definitely the most sophisticated and technically advanced Purikura booth I’ve ever been in.

Following our Purikura adventure we all decided to head to the Mission District for a shoot in Balmy Alley. Evil Rose is not only a model/performer but a professional photographer herself. We turned our cameras on Mayra who lived up to her reputation as the ultimate Chola muse. Below are some photos, to see the full gallery of images check out my flickr page.

I also managed to record a little behind the scenes video while we were shooting. Here’s two videos of Mayra playing around. When she focuses on her chola persona she disappears into it but when she breaks character she’s equally charismatic. Check it out!

Peace,

Rio

Having another late night session of editing Homegirl Purikura photos and videos. I’ll try and have some photos up very soon.

Did I mention I’m a student again? I had my first class in graphic design at CCSF’s Mission campus. I was a little nervous about being a student again after 5 years but it feels good to be back in the game.

I’m getting some sleep. Tomorrow morning I have my first day of printing at the Levis Workshop.

Peace,

Rio