I’m Monica Perez Vega and am originally from California, USA. I am an artist and shortly after receiving my BFA from the California College of the Arts, I faced a crossroads and had to choose between my career or my partner. I chose the latter and abandoned my plans to take a risk into the unknown, which involved moving to a new country. After a wedding in Mexico and a winter in Canada, I arrived to Amsterdam six months pregnant with my cat and my cankles in tow.
After having a child in 2007 and trailing her with a camera for a year, I went on to teach Visual Arts and Design Technology at the International School of Hilversum for five years. I then co-operated art space, Studio 30a. Then in 2016, I designed the ‘Make a Scene Stamp Kits’ and co-founded ‘Hiraeth Magazine.’
After 10 years in beautiful Amsterdam, I have moved to London, where I continue my studio practice and produce a podcast about migration for Hiraeth Magazine. While my life has been an unexpected adventure, it’s always been a goal to pursue my MFA, and I’m very excited that I’ve been accepted to the Slade School of Fine Art here in London and will begin my studies in Fall 2017.