DÁLE! DÁLE! DÁLE!

Public art pieces swat at gentrification

By RACHEL STONE

Giovanni Valderas has a statement to make about gentrification, and he’s saying it in the most festive way he could find.

The 38-year-old Oak Cliff native is the assistant director of Kirk Hopper Fine Arts in Deep Ellum and has served as vice chair of Dallas’ Cultural Affairs Commission.

But some of his own work can be seen in the streets of Oak Cliff and West Dallas.

Valderas uses traditional piñata techniques to create signs, which you might’ve seen pop up on vacant lots and near new developments. These signs manage to blend in and catch the eye at the same time, and they convey Spanish slang. One asks, “Quien manda?” or “Who rules?” Another says “No hay pedo,” which means “No problem,” but also can be translated as “There’s no fart.”

The City of Houston commissioned one, a 40-foot by 60-foot banner for a downtown building, which reads “Ay te miro.”

Valderas says he uses humor and piñata designs because he doesn’t want to come across as hostile. But he thinks the message is imperative.

There are almost 35,000 registered voters in City Council District 1, north Oak Cliff. But only about 2,000 of them typically vote in local elections.

“It’s time to wake up and be engaged and involved with the world,” he says. “Who does run this town? Is it us, or is it them?”