The Piñata Maker Who Almost Didn’t Make Art About Mexico

For years, Francisco Berlanga avoided making art about Mexico at all. “There was a sense for me that I was not entitled to speak about it,” he told Port Moody Pulse. That changed about a decade ago.

What he makes now is piñatas — traditional Mexican craft, techniques passed down from his mother and grandmother. At a recent show, kids tore one of his pieces apart to get the candy inside. Most artists would be devastated. Francisco says it was exactly right. “Piñatas are meant to be broken, and candies are meant to be taken.”

Francisco brought a Community Piñata Making (and Breaking) session to Art Out Side this year. On what it means to hold two cultures at once: “It’s about adding, not subtracting. It’s better to just allow yourself to be a part of it, to be eager to engage, learn from, and contribute to your culture, regardless of any disconnect you might feel.”

Follow Francisco’s work at @franciscoberlanga97.