CULTURAYMI: ARTISTS AND ENTREPRENEURS WHO KNOW NO LIMITS

Félix Espinoza Vargas was born with no arms and has only one leg; however, he was always a talented artist. He is a visual artist, graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in 1982, and belongs to the Association of Entrepreneurial Artisans with Impairments and to an international association of artists who paint with their mouth and feet. 

“I want to show the Peruvian public that it is possible to do my job as an artist, despite the impairment that you can see,” he told us while placing the canvas on which he will paint. Félix said that he paints an average of six hours a day with his mouth, and when he is tired, he paints with his foot between an hour and a half to two hours, to rest his eyes. His paintings reflect the color of optimism and his meticulous work.

Félix, Diana Fuentes, Cristina Falcón and their artistic work are present at Culturaymi. Everyone knows what effort and commitment mean, therefore they had positioned themselves in the art market. 

And when it comes to attributes, these have been inherited by Felix's daughter, Nicole Espinoza, 16, a national champion in artistic gymnastics and now, a competitor at the Pan American Games. “Even if she falls and gets hurt, she keeps going. Sometimes she has taken off the cast to keep training,” he said proudly. 

Félix told us that he has a colleague who is a great visual artist and also an outstanding athlete. She is Dunia Felices, who will compete at the Parapan American Games. This demonstrates that talent can be found in art and sports as well. “Dunia has been studying in Bellas Artes and other institutes; she has a lot of talent. I always tell her to keep going, because the major in arts is hard and demanding, but you have to be constant,” he declared.

Another story of commitment is that of Diana Fuentes, 47, also present at Culturaymi. She suffered burns when she was two years old, so she had a hand amputated. Diana crochets baby layettes, which she offers at the stand.  “Culturaymi is very interesting. It allows us to show our skills and prove that we can be useful for our families,” she said. 

And to preserve the environment and prevent plastic from continuing to pollute. Cristina Falcón, 39, makes eco-friendly bags with designs and embroidery. Cris has had polio since she was nine months old, but she was never discouraged and always tried to keep going with her usual activities. Now that awareness is being risen to regulate the use of plastic bags and that these are being withdrawn from the market, it would be worth to pay a visit to Cris’s stand and buy her beautiful bags. “Lima 2019 has given us an opportunity as an association. People from all over the world come here,” she says. 
All of these artists can be found at Parque de la Exposición. The quality of their work and the story behind them deserve support. 

Photo gallery (click here)