Raquel Villar Perez: personal statement

I was born in 1983, in Valencia, Spain, inside a hard-working family: my grandparents, of an Andalusian origin, were land workers; my parents, also Andalusian, have worked in any kind of work they have could; my sister, Valencian, is social educator, and she works with mental disabled people; and me, I work in behalf of a retailer of vitamins, minerals and herbal supplements and in my leisure time I’m a cultural constructer based in London.

Recently I have got a MFA in Artistic Production by the Polytechnics University of Valencia, where I intend to continue studying a PhD program in art at the same time that I improve my knowledge in Sociology and Cultural Studies.

My artistic experience is characterised by an interest in social engagement, working directly with collectives experiencing social exclusion. Through these projects I have developed an ability to work with diverse social agents, and a capacity to motivate them and incite them to participate in the construction of a common goal. Among others, I have worked with sans papiers and inhabitants of marginalised neighbourhoods. My working experience has been developed principally in the self-taught management of my artistic practices and my participation as secretary and treasurer in AVVAC, Visual Artists Association of Valencia, Alicante and Castellón.

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