Born in 1986 and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. Justin Favela is a Guatemalan-Mexican-American Artist who works in a large installation depicting cultural images and themes through ‘pinata’ art. Coming out of art school Favela adopted the practice of ‘pinata’ art as a means to end the constant commentary for him to speak about his identity as a person of color through his art for assignments. His first work “Donkey Pinata” depicts a realistic donkey hung by a string and covered in small cuts of tissue paper and adhesive to create the ‘pinata’ look. Using this visual language Favela creates large murals and sculptural pieces depicting Latin American landscapes and culturally significant objects.

His career makes light of his identity as a queer person of color raised in the Southwest United States. Through this lens Favela also questions the ideas surrounding cultural appropriation in a humorous way that sparks conversation.