Curator’s statement: 

In moments of uncertainty and division, art has the unique power to pull us back to our shared humanity. As we navigate a time when questions of belonging, borders, and democracy feel especially raw, Somos Gente, Somos Tierra invites us to look closely—at faces, at stories, at the journeys that shape lives and communities.

Claudio Talavera-Ballón’s work is a vivid reminder that the struggles and dreams of migrants are not distant headlines, but living realities woven into the fabric of our society. These portraits ask us to recognize not just the cost and sacrifice that underpin civil order, but also the courage and resilience that sustain it.

In bringing this series to our campus, we hope to spark conversations that go beyond classroom walls—conversations about dignity, empathy, and the responsibilities we share in a democracy. For our students, this is more than an art exhibit; it’s an invitation to see, to feel, and to imagine a world where every person’s story matters.

Mark Harris
Campus Curator, Visual Arts Instructor, Junior Class Mentor

Artist Bio: 

Talavera-Ballón is a Peruvian-born painter based in San Francisco, CA. A disciple of acclaimed artist Luis Palao Berastain, he skillfully captures the essence of ordinary people’s lives and their surroundings across diverse regions and cultures of the Americas. He explores themes that highlight important social and cultural aspects of the people and places he has encountered. His work is also a tribute to immigrants like himself who left their home countries in search of new horizons.

Talavera-Ballon has exhibited in several art galleries, museums and universities across Perú, Chile,and the US including the U.S. Embassy, Lima, Peru; Museo Qoricancha, Cuzco; Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Cuzco; the Peruvian Embassy, Washington, DC; the Latino Art Museum, Pomona, CA; Galería de la Raza, San Francisco, CA, Holy Names University, Oakland, CA, UC Berkeley, the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, and the de Young Museum. He has has been selected for the San Francisco Arts Commission 2019-2020 & 2015-2016 Pre-Qualified Artist Pool and as a finalist in ArtSpan’s San Francisco Open Studios Guide Cover Competition. He has also participated in several live painting events such as Friday Nights at the de Young Museum and Art Beats SF, and his work is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Arequipa, Peru. A feature on Univision of his latest painting series “Mujeres Luz” recently received three awards including an Emmy, a New America Media Ethnic Media Award, and an Excellence in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for the Arts, Culture, and Entertainment category. 

His latest public art commissions include a 772 sq. ft. historical mural in Redwood City, CA, a 40x7 ft mural at the Transbay Transit Center in San Francisco and a 30x8 ft mural at Hermanos en el Camino, a migrant shelter in Oaxaca, Mexico.