Interview and article by Jorge Lara

Maceoo inside The Aria Hotel and Casino In Las Vegas will be hosting “Child-ish,” a solo gallery exhibition on October 14 featuring the works of Ninobuni World creator, Juan Muniz. Muniz will be debuting a collection of paintings focusing on the wonderment of the inner child that he states “sometimes we repress and ignore.”

The exhibition will be raising awareness and aid to FEAT of Southern Nevada to help kids with autism and their families.

Families for Effective Autism Treatment, Inc. (FEAT) is a non-profit organization of parents and professionals, designed to help families with children who have received the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), or Asperger’s Syndrome. The organization offers a support network where families can meet each other and discuss issues surrounding autism and treatment options.

Artist Juan Muniz is a visual artist and Illustrator, best known as creator of Felipe the Bunny. His list of past clients include UFC, Hard Rock Cafe, Zappos, Don Julio tequila, Golden State Warriors, Sugar Factory, Paris Hotels and Casino, Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino, the Venetian Hotel and Casino, and Insomniac/EDC. His art is located in galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Taiwan.

Maceoo is a men’s clothing store that was founded by Mehdi Raad. Mehdi started his career in Telecom, helping to design everything from LTE networks around the globe, to devices for Apple. While working around the world, he had difficulty finding clothes that were appealing and comfortable. Inspired to make a change, he decided to code an algorithm based on a sample of 30 million people to fix this very issue. He knew that he would find a way to combine fashion and comfort. Maceoo began in San Diego at the Andaz Hotel where he met the owner of a little Italian factory who decided to join him in creating the very first shirt based on this innovative mathematical model.

VIM MAGAZINE: WHAT INSPIRED YOUR CURRENT ART EXHIBITION AT THE ARIA HOTEL?

JUAN MUNIZ: My current exhibition is called “child-ish,” the main inspiration is based on the new path I find my career, my life and my art going. It’s something I have always connected with even though I never truly understood it till now. Pablo Picasso said that every child is born an artist, the problem is remaining one once we grow up. We as a society tend to let our everyday life take over and that beautiful pure childlike wonderment gets left further and further behind. We forget what it was like to see each day with the eyes of a child full of curiosity and hope. Those lessons about love kindness and empathy and respect towards ones self we learned as children get overshadowed by bills, stress, work, and even our own anxiety and personal struggles. I feel that even if we can go back in our hearts and minds to those moments that rough is pure joy like when we were children even for 5 minutes we will allow ourselves to find that happiness we forgot was there. Why not allow our inner child to come out and play from time to time and be a little more child-ish. Children have an amazing imagination and I wanted to speak about not being held back by our own personal limitations of fear. A big part of this show will represent children living with autism as well. Meeting so many kids on the spectrum made me realize that they are all special and unique. No two are the same and they see the world with the same beauty as any other child. They might communicate it differently but isn’t that something we all do in general? I wanted to shine the light that at the end of the day we are were and still are children. And we should really allow ourselves the freedoms to enjoy that and in return maybe the world can start becoming a kinder gentler place even if just a little.

VIM MAGAZINE: WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO PICK MACEOO AS THE LOCATION FOR YOUR NEW EXHIBITION?

JUAN MUNIZ: The reason we chose Maceoo was pretty easy. A long time friend Ricci Lopez is very involved in the autism community and he has always been a supporter of my work. He partnered with Maceoo to open this beautiful new location inside the Aria along with Ricci’s very own line of perfume and colognes. After visiting him a few days after their grand opening I fell in love with the location. Such a beautiful venue. Ricci and I spoke about one day doing an event together and this was the perfect time and place. I wanted to make sure I was also giving back to the community especially the kids and I reached out to my friends FEAT of southern Nevada, an incredible charity that helps children with autism and their families. I spoke with them and invited them as our special guest for the event. I will also be partnering with a young man, 11 years old with autism to create a live painting alongside with me that will be auctioned off at the show with 100% of the proceeds going to the foundation.

VIM MAGAZINE: WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM THE EXHIBITION AND HOW LONG IS YOUR ART GOING TO BE FEATURED?

JUAN MUNIZ: It’s actually a one day event. 6-7pm soft opening for families of the foundation and 7-9 pm public. It’s all encompassing, almost like a sneak preview of this entire new collection of work that I’m currently creating, speaking of the essence of childlike moments that allows us to be free to be little kids again even for a moment. All while speaking about their feelings, emotions and struggles children go through with feelings and emotions they don’t completely understand and how to handle and manage them in a positive way. The next show will be a traveling show in the southwest region of the country speaking of the immigrant child coming from Mexico to the United States. Juggling two different worlds while remaining connected to your roots and becoming a citizen of a different country that sometimes it feels don’t want us. All while leading to the next show which speaks of different stories based on different cultures all over the world. I will be interviewing elder people from many different cultures and backgrounds and learning more about what it was like for them growing up, fears, worries, family, expressing their thoughts and creating a unique piece based on everyones different story.

More info: “Child-ish” Solo Art Exhibition at Aria

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