Pablo Stanley, 1994

Artist Statement

Title: 1994, A Turning Point

Year: 1994

In 1994, Mexico went through a massive shift. There was a sudden devaluation of the peso. There was a political crisis when someone assassinated the leading candidate in broad daylight. There was a revolutionary uprising in Chiapas with the EZLN Popocatepetl, a long-dormant volcano, threatening to erupt. On the other side of the spectrum, cultural events also happened, such as the suicide by Kurt Cobain and the release of a defying movie, Pulp Fiction. As a sensitive kid, these things marked me. The mix of political, cultural, and musical aspects around me made this year one that I can pinpoint as a turning point for me as an artist and the things that influence my creations.

Bio:

Pablo Stanley is the founder and artist of Robotos. He’s also a co-founder and CEO at Bueno, Blush and previously a co-founder of Carbon Health. He gives talks and workshops around the world on product design, animation, illustration systems, storytelling, accessibility, behavioral economics, challenges of being a designer, doodling, and the art of comics.

Pablo has a YouTube channel called Sketch Together where he shares design tutorials, livestreams, critiques, and other random stuff. He also hosts different podcasts, including one interviewing Latinxs in the tech industry called “Diseño Cha Cha Cha.” He’s the doodler behind Open Peeps, Avataaars, Humaaans, Open Doodles, Bottts, and Buttsss. And a writer and illustrator of “The Design Team,” a comic series that follows the lives of designers working at a startup.

@pablostanley

Stanley invited Mariana Pedroza to TIMEPieces. Their work is inspired by the year 1994.

Contact us at letters@time.com.