Rey Mundo Campos

Rey Mundo Campos was born in Tacoma, Washington, grew up in the Republic of Panama, and currently resides in San Antonio, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at San Antonio and acquired a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Art with an emphasis on painting, minor in Art History, and Spanish. Panama is the primary foundations of my art work. Being raised there, it gave me the opportunity to learn so much about its heritage. I moved to Texas and my heritage became blurry and forgotten. New exposure to people, habitat, culture, and place contributed to my new perspective. Incorporating the Panamanian culture helps me remember those beloved things and wake up my dormant nostalgia. The way I reinforce my content is by incorporating poetry, language, quotes, emblems, music lyrics, and other elements to inform my viewer. I’m influenced by the Mola textile patterns made by the Panamanian indigenous group called Kuna Yala. I want the viewers to understand where I’m coming from and I believe heavily on the imagery of my heritage because it helps me remember things I’ve learned in the past and bring that nostalgic feeling above the surface. My purpose is mainly to wake up my people, so they can take pride of who they are and not forget where they come from. Hopefully other cultures can take my paintings as an example, make them aware of the valuable things in life, and not forget who they really are.