When the development of a luxury condominium threatens a local mural depicting the diverse culture of the neighborhood, a community in a rapidly gentrifying city rallies to protect its history, voice, icons, and land.
Peskador is a self-taught artist born and raised in Chile under the oppressive regime of Augusto Pinochet. He attended the School of the Arts in Valparaiso as well as the Vina del Mar. He joined the TAV, Taller de Artists Visuales in Valparaiso and began his artistic career as a printmaker with them. In 2012, Pancho was commissioned by the 67 Suenos organization to paint a three-story mural in downtown San Francisco with a group of undocumented youth. The success of that project led his receiving of the prestigious Creative Work Fund grant to create more murals with the group. Pancho has also created artwork for West Contra Costa Childrens Services and Youth Spirit Artworks Pancho’s canvas work and photography has been nationally and internationally and he has painted murals in Chile, Germany, and throughout the United States.. He currently lives in Oakland, CA where he creates, as he calls it, “visual guerrillas” expressed in mediums such as paintings, drawings, prints, collages, murals and mixed media. He is a resident after-school art teacher at Melrose Leadership Academy.