Claudia Martínez Vargas was born in Mexico City in October 1970. She moved to Oaxaca in 1996 where she began the path of popular art. Just arrived in this city with two babies, one 1 year old and the other 3, she found herself in need to find an alternative livelihood since she did not have a permanent job from which she received a constant and secure salary. In that unpleasant season a strike began in the city of Oaxaca on the part of the garbage collectors and for months they stopped collecting garbage and people began to take it out of their homes and leave it piled up in the streets, the corners soon became garbage dumps and the odors were unbearable. Local newscasts asked citizens to separate the garbage and tried to give recommendations on how to deal with the great amount of garbage that was in the city.

Claudia found the ability to see the artistic and aesthetic potential of recycled objects and transform them into elaborate collages. She seeks to engage viewers by forcing them to study the origin of materials. The global brands Coca Cola, Telmex, Campbell, Hershey, Sabritas, Gamesa, Apple, Colgate, Modelo, Corona and Chicles become a representation of a contemporary style.

The use of recycled materials encourages works in a creative way, often resulting in the creation of unique and original works; these works of art tend to make us reflect on the human ability to create something new with something considered disposable, a reflection as a consumer and how much waste a person can produce in their modern, disposable lifestyle.

With the growing popularity of "Going Green", her work serves as an earth
conscious stimulant. The tableaus, collages and sculptures created represent cultural images as homage to it.

Claudia builds images of saints, catrines, catrinas, nativity scenes, mermaids, trades, traditions and the Virgin of Guadalupe from elements such as Gansito containers, wrappers of all kinds of cookies, potatoes, popsicles, candies and sweets etc..

While flowers made with candy wrappers, chocolates, tea bags, frame the subjects. Her work is based on Mexican folk art style. Claudia uses weaving, painting, and dough work.

Recycling in art is more than a passing trend; it is a reflection of our evolving
relationship with the environment. Inspired by the desire to reduce waste and make a statement about sustainability, turning to recycling as a medium and message provokes reflection and dialogue on critical environmental issues. Art serves as a powerful tool to raise awareness and advocate for positive change.

Feria Maestros del Arte 2025

AWARDS

·      1997 Honorable Mention, Benito Juárez imagen in Folk Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Oaxaca.

·      1997 Honorable Mention, 100th Anniversary edition of Noche de Rábanos (Night of Radishes), Oaxaca State Government.

·       2004 Recognition, Noche de Rábanos, Oaxaca State
Government.

·      2006 Honorable Mention, First State Contest of Oaxacan Nativity Scenes, Oaxaca Institute of  Folk Art, Oaxaca State Government. 

·       2007 Honorable Mention, Fourteenth National Contest of Mexican Nativity Scenes, 2007, National  Foundation for Folk Art, Banamex Cultural Foundation. 

·      2010 First Prize, XXXV Bicentennial National Grand Prize of Popular Art, Mexican Federal  Government, Secretariat of Social Development. 

·       2020 Honorable Mention, “XXIV National Contest of Mexican Nativity Scene”, Secretariat of  Culture, National Foundation for Folk Art (FONART), Mexico. 

·      2021 Third Place, XXI Benito Juárez State Prize for Popular Art, Oaxaca State Government,  FONART. 

·      Numerous individual and group exhibitions. 2003 – 2018

ARTIST INFORMATION

Priv Ciruelo #4,

Santo Tomas Jalieza, Oaxaca
71507 

cel 951 117 4009 

ricaoax@gmail.com 

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