Vanessa “AGANA” Espinoza
Each One Teach One, 2021
Oakland, California

Photo Credit: Vanessa “AGANA” Espinoza

Drawing inspiration from the African American proverb, “Each one teach one,” this dynamic artwork highlights the importance of educating others for the betterment of the community. AGANA pays homage to members of her Oakland, California neighborhood who have made an impact on her life, including a community educator named Alicia, beloved local wildlife, and the artist’s children.

Known to the world as AGANA, (American, b.1982) Vanessa Solari Espinoza is an internationally acclaimed multi-dimensional contemporary artist converging traditional large-scale murals and contemporary street art. Rooted in her Latinx identity of Venezuelan descent, hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, Agana paints prolific imagery as calls to action encompassing black liberation, women's empowerment, environmental and racial justice issues. Impactful and intentional to the specific locations they are placed in, Agana’s artistry adds color and light to what would be a blight. From the juxtaposition of being a reality TV show star to fruitful community-building engagement, Agana’s murals have not only been a healing tool from violence in the hood but have actually saved lives. AGANA translates the mural process into cultural work of layered storytelling provoking visibility to otherwise marginalized experiences while stimulating transformative conceptualism for diverse audiences. Agana’s dexterity gives vibrant life to any public surface by spraying gradients of bold and bursting gestures forming iconic pictorial imagery. When the viewers of her work witness relatable reflections of self as painted stories into the walls and borders intended to divide and separate, the context is transformed by connecting and bringing people together. Agana’s expertise reflects the Pan American experience, premiering at the intersection of graffiti and fine art praxis, communicating common social threads via monumental vision.

瓦内萨·“阿加纳”·埃斯皮诺萨 (Vanessa "AGANA" Espinoza)
《人人都可为师》(Each One Teach One), 2021 年
加利福尼亚州，奥克兰市

照片来源：瓦内萨·“阿加纳”·埃斯皮诺萨 (Vanessa "AGANA" Espinoza) 

这幅充满活力的作品从非裔美国人的谚语“人人都可为师”中汲取灵感，凸显了教育他人以改善社区的重要性。阿加纳向加利福尼亚奥克兰社区中对她的生活产生过影响的成员致敬，其中包括社区教育工作者阿利西亚 (Alicia)、深受当地人喜爱的野生动物，以及自己的孩子们。