Quique Aviles
The art work of Quique Aviles spans over three decades in the united states. Originally from El Salvador, Aviles arrived in Washington D.C as a fifteen year old. He became a writer and a trouble maker from the get go. Aviles has been writing and preforming his monologues and poetry about the realities of Latinos and people of color in the united states for almost forty years. This website will give you hints and clues about the periods of an artistic process of discovery. It is safe to say that the vast majority of the work that is engulfed in the poetry, performances and visual work are based on true stories. Aviles is first and foremost a story teller. The story telling can shape itself in the forms of musical, visual, and literary pieces. Here are some work samples.
About The Immigrant Museum
The Poems in the Immigrant Museum are a collection of poetry that speaks specifically to plight of the latino community in the United States and the contradictions of identity and race. All of the poems are companions to monologues that have been written and preformed over the last thirty years. The poems are written mostly in english with some spanish. This is a reflection of the reality that i have lived for most of my life in the United States. Given that I mostly write for audiences ,not readers ,the Immigrant Museum was conceived as an attempt to bring these performance poems to a wider audience. In the early 2000's I met a group of young book binders in Mexico City and we struck up a friendship that lead to the conceptualizing of an art book that would have texture in its pages and playful and in its design. This process took over a year and in 2003 a thousand books were printed but only seven hundred had covers. The books were brought to the U.S. in batches and sold in performances and events. After some of the leftover three hundred books were found in boxes in Mexico City about a year ago,an agreement was reached to relaunch the book.This time this time with a similar but different cover. The content and the order of the poems remains the same as the original.
The Immigrant Museum
About El Acordeón
El Acordeón is a collection of twelve poems. Each, folded and bound by hand. Each book is unique, no one book is the same and they are smaller than a regular cell phone. There are two trilogies in the group but each poem stands on its own. The poems are visually interpreted through the layout art work of fellow artist Fidel Salvador with whom I have been collaborating for almost two years. This book collection is the result of a learning process with my teacher and mentor Linda Rollins. The process of making these books is a tedious one, it takes about three hours to put one book together resulting in a colorful mini book that is bound together by tread and beads.
How To Loop Your Accordion Book
Quique's Book Store
Pandemic Series/La Pandemia
2020 was a hell of a year for all of us. This drawing series THE PANDEMIC SERIES/LA PANDEMIA is the artistic product of how the darkness of the pandemic affected me, Hilary, my dog and the few friends I still see. I don't know where this came from, but it came at a time when I am losing my ability to write by hand. But that reality has allowed me to use my hands in a different way – to explore shapes, patterns, colors, sizes, and all kinds of pens and markers. There are only going to be 200 unique pieces in this series. Each piece is numbered on the back and catalogued. Once you buy it, you have the one and only original. My hope is that by the end of January, I will no longer be doing these and that I will be doing something more bright and hopeful and full of love. I hope you can keep this as a memory to look back on and say: Yeah, 2020 was a hell of a year but we’re still here. Each piece is done in different papers and sizes.
We love you and thank you for supporting art.
The artwork will be mailed to you with cardboard protection so they don’t get bent in the process. Shipping costs $3 not included in the price of each piece, and if you’re local they’re available for pick up. If you live in DC and wish to purchase pieces and have them framed, I can do that for you but you must pick up. There is an additional cost for the frame. Please contact Quique directly via messenger on Facebook or at quique.aviles@gmail.com to discuss framing options. If you buy more than two, I will charge you $20 for the first two and $10 for every additional one.
We love you and thank you for supporting art.
The artwork will be mailed to you with cardboard protection so they don’t get bent in the process. Shipping costs $3 not included in the price of each piece, and if you’re local they’re available for pick up. If you live in DC and wish to purchase pieces and have them framed, I can do that for you but you must pick up. There is an additional cost for the frame. Please contact Quique directly via messenger on Facebook or at quique.aviles@gmail.com to discuss framing options. If you buy more than two, I will charge you $20 for the first two and $10 for every additional one.
Pandemic Series/La Pandemia Store
Every cover Is different!
(these are a few samples)
YELLOW HOUSE DREAM REPAIR WORKSHOP
It is now official, the Yellow House Dream Repair Workshop claims its own existence. This workshop brings together artists, friends and family to create art. We work with furniture, bookmaking, photography, and poetry among other things. All our work is done with the spirit of social consciousness as it relates to art. People participate in many ways. We paint, we create events, we resuscitate furniture and other objects that are either given to us, found on the street or bought at thrift stores. We give life to things that have been discarded. During the pandemic, this workshop has given life to us. The heart of the Dream Repair Workshop is Quique, Delia Beristain Noriega, Miguel Castro Luna, and some of the most beautiful and creative kids in the Yellow House's neighborhood.
The idea for the workshop was born years ago when I became fascinated by what a coat of paint can do to a rejected piece of furniture . The U.S. is perhaps one of the most wasteful countries in the world; if something is scratched or stained people throw things away. It all started with a set of four canvas chairs a friend of mine was about to throw away because they were "Dirty." I figured I could paint them and revive them. I did. And I have been painting furniture since then. As a matter of fact more than twenty years later I still have two of the chairs. The samples you see here are just that samples of the work that I do. Most of these pieces have sold as soon as I have painted them. Some I still have.
If you are interested in any of these pieces or having something restored please contact me directly. See contact description below.
The idea for the workshop was born years ago when I became fascinated by what a coat of paint can do to a rejected piece of furniture . The U.S. is perhaps one of the most wasteful countries in the world; if something is scratched or stained people throw things away. It all started with a set of four canvas chairs a friend of mine was about to throw away because they were "Dirty." I figured I could paint them and revive them. I did. And I have been painting furniture since then. As a matter of fact more than twenty years later I still have two of the chairs. The samples you see here are just that samples of the work that I do. Most of these pieces have sold as soon as I have painted them. Some I still have.
If you are interested in any of these pieces or having something restored please contact me directly. See contact description below.
Store
PAST Resuscitated Furniture
About Quique's Performances
The stage work of Quique Aviles is known for his portrayal of real life characters from all walks of life. His performances fuse poetry, monologues, music , and humor in an attempt to brin gdignity and respect to the lives of latinos and other people of color. His style is known for being very blunt and direct when it comes to social issues and always preforming his monologues and always reading his poems. Performances can last from twenty minutes to an hour and most times each performance is followed by a Q & A with the audience. Performances are mostly in english but can be adapted for spanish speaking audiences.
Performance Videos
About Quique's Audio Files
From time to time I will be posting audio files of poems, essays, and prose work that speaks about our times and realities. If theres any particular piece that you are interested in please contact me directly. Contact information below.