@stefskills | stefskills.art | Dignity for Humanity | 2026 12×12″ ceramic glaze on terracotta |
I am a public artist and painter who works primarily within the cultural parameters of traditional graffiti. Each year, I create several public spray-painted murals on large surfaces in the urban landscape, including metal, concrete, wood, vinyl, fabric, and recycled materials. I combine figurative work and typographic elements with lush botanical illustrations, inspired by the environment and traditional illustration of my Costa Rican heritage.
5 Questions
1. My mother immigrated to the United States from Costa Rica after her father passed away and my grandmother married a sailor/ shrimper from Georgia. My father’s family is from Scott Irish heritage his family immigrated to the US a few generations back through what is now called North Carolina they came and fought Confederate soldiers and dug the Erie canal. But I don’t really know why they came except I know that things were tough in Ireland.
2. Having a mixed heritage makes you feel that you may not be enough to belong in any group. This has made me seek out connection with things in common, such as art, music, connection to nature, activism, etc. I have a collective family that is active and collectively creative within Hip hop culture in Chicago and globally.
3. My relationship with home has been rebellious by not understanding some of the traditions my mother wanted me to uphold in the modern society of the United States as well as the assimilation to “whiteness”. I have learned to soften and appreciate my family for doing the best with what they were faced with.
4. Nowadays, I feel the pull between my roots and the present by questioning the trauma that caused so many people to migrate here in the first place. I reconcile these feelings by asking big questions and challenging the quest for capitalism at the cost of and humanity and nature I have also been studying indigenous medicine for the past few years and have recovered some knowledge of the simple humility in relationship to nature and embracing traditional family structure and traditions.
5. My Hope is centered around healing myself and my family, so that I can help heal my community. My big hope is that people begin this quest for themselves and the world returns to indigenous ways globally. May we have a borderless world not governed by computers and currency but with our relationship to nature and the universe.
Butterfly Effect: Bridging Borders Exhibiting Artists
Aileen Nicole Castro • Akira – Light that Heals • Alejandra Lemus • Alex Covarrubias – Red Cave • Anna Silvonchik • Arte Duran • Bane.xxa • Christian Joshua Varela Solis • Cindy Uriostegui – Cattco • Cristina Marquez • Elena Diadenko • Elena Pach • EMNI • Gabriel Guzman • Grecia Solorio • Idil Duman • Isaac Galvan • Janis Appleton* • Javier Viñuela*• Kaltra • Kybo • Mariana Perez • Mary Antar • Pamela Rubi Trejo Soria • Peauxline • raqui • Riesling Dong • Rocio “Chio” Cabrera-Coz • Sailee Charlu • Shalala Salamzadeh • Sharvani Rathna Chittem* • Stef Skills • Victoria Park • *Group collaboration