A new immersive art installation in collaboration with Tostitos is taking place from Thursday, February 9th – Saturday, February 11th for their “Tost” pop-up restaurant experience!
4 local Phoenix artists were invited to represent the rich caliber of artistry present in Arizona to curate an immersive experience emulating food, culture and community. As advanced visual storytellers, these artists embody the core of the Tost experience and will showcase how food and culture bring people together.
In addition to the art installations, attendees will be able to enjoy a limited-time casual dining restaurant hosted by Tostitos. The restaurant experience is focused on bringing people together in unexpected ways, incorporating Tostitos chips into both their Super Bowl celebrations and as mealtime staples. Reservations for complimentary lunch and dinner open today and are available at www.tostbytostitos.com.
Learn more about each artist below:
Artist Bio: Ivan Niebla is a first generation Mexican-American from a traditional Mexican family; his mother from Guadalajara and father from Culiacan. Growing up, being creative was praised, but being artistic was seen as trivial. In his community, escaping poverty was the primary goal. In college, he began woodworking for utility. Slowly it became creative expression, and eventually he allowed himself to see the art in the craft. Woodworking helped him to understand how craftsmanship and the arts are not only essential, but how they can elevate the way we experience life. To him, the reason for art and design points to the intentions of his work; connecting people through time and space by sharing experiences vibrantly and beautifully.
Project description – A callback and homage to my mother’s childhood home and upbringing. Currently, my cousins, Nena and Paloma, operate the fields and grow heirloom corn. Corn is a staple in Mexican food and is a labor of love to produce from planting a seed to holding a warm tortilla in your hand. Seeing the process first hand in Mascota, Jalisco at Rancho El Copal is engrained in my memory and I associate it with great family moments gathered around food. During the process, all 5 senses are firing when working together as well as the intangible sense of connection. The goal is an inviting and contemporary space that will invoke feelings of togetherness and history.
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@arianabelen.art
http://arianaenriquez.com
Artist Bio: Ariana Enriquez is a visual artist based out of Mesa, Arizona. She received her BFA in painting and MA in art history from Arizona State University. Finding meditative and self-healing qualities in the outdoors, Arizona’s natural landscape serves as Enriquez’s largest source of inspiration. While she paints plants, flowers, birds, and insects that she comes upon day to day, they become reflections of her experiences, metaphors of her family and agents of identity. Enriquez primarily works with oils in her studio practice, and acrylics in her murals. Seeking to honor the nuances of nature’s details, Enriquez hand paints every aspect of her work. She hopes to show how beauty can be found in the small things that surround us.
Project description: Yoya’s Table focuses on my connection to food through the lens of family history and places where we congregate around food, specifically my great aunt Gloria’s (Yoya) vibrant green dining room table. Her table is where my family gathers for homemade meals that are both catalysts for storytelling, and the culmination of comfort. Yoya’s Table captures how food fuels the stories we share while in this familial space, and how these stories transport us back in time to childhood memories and magical places – especially with the additional fuel of a cafecito con pan dulce.
Artist Bio: My name is Danny Upshaw and I was born, raised, and currently live in Phoenix, Arizona. I’m a full-blooded Native American from the Diné Tribe (Navajo) and a creative who is learning from life in the city. My culture influences my work in the creative field of photography, videography, and design. I work for a local design and advertising agency doing video motion graphics. When I’m not at work I love to explore my city on foot, skateboard, and bike. I don’t just ride my bike to get from place to place but I also use it as a form of exercise and a way to hang out with friends and family.
Project Description: My project will focus on the roots of creating strong family roots and how that mindset when conducting business will create deeper meaning with the food you’re making. Mi Catering is a local, family-owned business created by a matriarch of a family and is currently run by her and her two sons with a team of people who are more than workers. I want to showcase their relationships and present it in a way that will put you in their presence. Creating large-scale photo prints that are life-size to help compliment the subject’s energy.
Artist Bio: Cristian Gomez is an artist from Phoenix, Arizona who enjoys painting various subjects, but is most passionate about portraits and hyper realistic artworks. His goal is to create pieces where audiences can feel a variety of sensations with his colors, from intense and stunning to thought-provoking. With his artwork, he seeks to create eye-catching visuals and illuminate the essence of his subjects through his hyper-detailed style.
Project description: “For this mural, I wanted to focus on togetherness and variation, while also creating a variety of emotions through bright, attractive and animated colors with an illustrative look. I took inspiration from the Tostitos and Superbowl’s focus on sportsmanship and connectedness, and also from my love of Phoenix.”
