Gabriela Marván and Ryan Rothweiler are VIVA’s Guest Artists for March!

Artist Statement

We are a wife and husband team. Gabriela, originally from Mexico, and Ryan, originally from Milwaukee. Ryan is a muralist who has lived from 10 years+ in Viroqua,

Gabriela, a cartonera (paper maché sculptor) moved to the USA in 2019. Since then, we have been working pieces in collaboration like murals and paper maché sculptures. One of our main scenario where we have shared with the community our art is Keewaydin Farms, in Viola, where we organize the Día de Muertos event in October, building small and big scale Catrinas and other paper maché sculptures.

Repurposing materials like paper grocery bags gives special soul to the art.

Collaborating together through our art is our way to build love between us and sharing this with the community on our favorite places.

Artist Gabriela Marvan

Gabriela & Ryan answer some fun questions!

How did you come to focus on your current subject?

We wanted to combine our styles and cultures in an image. Through choosing different animals that we took as inspiration and patterns we found also on nature, we were inspired to create these fantastic animals called “alebrijes” (sculptures that are part of the Mexican folk art since 1930, created by Pedro Linares, in Mexico City). We gave our own style, giving us the chance to reflect the joy that we feel every time we create art.

Who or what has strongly influenced your work?

We are presenting two main collections on this art show: the fantastic animals called “alebrijes” inspired by the artists in the family Linares, and the scenery “Mercado Catrinas” inspired by the food markets from my hometown (Gabriela).

What’s the most indispensable item in your studio?

We gradually transformed our home to a full house studio, so we mainly need a good light to paint, colorful acrylics and piles of paper and clay to start creating.