A Love Letter to California for the new Yahoo! campus in San Jose
Empire Seven Studios recently accomplished a collection of curated murals inside Yahoo! (Y!); one of Silicon Valley’s prominent companies. A hyperlocal artist roster was selected featuring Camer1, Jorge Sanchez (J.Duh), Roan Victor, Ryan Bubnis, and Trav. This group was invited to paint a “love letter” to the California experience.
Yahoo’s new campus in San Jose provides interior design elements which showcases a variety of architecture and textures. Inside the paseo, the essence highlights northern and southern California elements such as natural redwoods/habitats to industry/suburban cities living in the tech capital of the world. Artist’s concepts focus on their hometown somewhere between or along the West Coast.
Roan Victor’s installation is located at the “Open Lounge”, a south entrance and lobby. An overgrown garden with larger than life tall grass constructed of pixelated abstract colorful shapes to the ceiling. Serenity landscapes resembling a house view from the yard to the hillside of the valley. Native flowers, such as the Iris, weave into the installed wooden casita structures designed for employee meetings and daily operations. Along the corridor is decorated with house plants, contrasting Victor’s bold color palette from a distance; day and night bringing together the entire south end of the building in harmony.
Camer1’s two story “Stairwell” is directly across from the main building; connecting the first floor cafeteria, and upstairs gym which is facing the outdoor basketball court. His walls can be viewed from several angles on campus which showcases monarch butterflies, avocados, a scrub jay, and plush succulents; all species native to the Bay Area. A unique LED “saber light” installation draws in a interactive playful placement of art and functional lighting.
Jorge Sanchez painted an outdoor “Basketball Court.” His design for the company’s unofficial basketball team features in motion cartoon arms and hands dribbling a variety of the Valley of The Heart's Delight memorabilia which include a fresh peach, a brain with a sim card, a fishbowl with a shark that looks like it’s ready to jump through the hoop. Jorge’s mural immerses an entire wall and floor dripping with a cool teal, accompanied with a striped basketball court key. A purple 8-bit pixel design breaks off from the wall giving it a futuristic-like platform and multi-dimensional effect from a birds eye view. Accessible from the parking garage, employees will see this space daily walking into the campus.
Ryan Bubnis painted a “Pop Up Shop”, where the illustrations represent a modern textile pattern. The bold iconic symbols connected to graffiti, skateboarding, and nature; are on the boutique’s façade. A striking white brick wall where even tan colors loudly pop, next to California poppies, a 6 foot purple quail skater in the hallway and Ryan’s overall signature style. Abstract shapes in all colors compliment the interior design arrangements perfectly. Every component of the art is synchronized with the entire design and connected with the surrounding color palettes. In the surrounding areas, you will find the Yahoo insider culture which includes a 70’s mini cooper, a red telephone booth from England, and the infamous purple cow.
Trav’s “Hot Spot”, south of the road map in the paseo, resonates Los Angeles bodegas and corrugated store fronts which still represent a classic Americana era; small businesses boasting hand-painted signage, canopies, neon lighting, even large donuts still sit on top of buildings in LA. Trav’s inspiration comes from wanting to preserve and share a story of an antiquity, industry transpired in a setting where technology is profuse. The aesthetics of old and new combining forces bring nostalgia, a perfect opportunity for conversation and collaboration.
Our team is a group of local creatives, curators, and producers based in San Jose who are passionate about the arts:
Stacey Kellogg for Business Development and Project Management
Shayne Oseguera for Production Support
Juan Carlos Araujo for Operations and Production Management
Jennifer Ahn for Administrative, Photography and Social Media
Jennifer Gonzalez and Frank Facio for Photography and Film Production
Artists Bios:
Roan Victor is a fine art painter, muralist, youth arts educator based in San Jose, CA. Lush foliage, textile patterns and figures in passive poses are common subject matters in Roan’s paintings. Her recent works, in watercolor and gouache, explore the dichotomy of strength and vulnerability presented in a delicate balance. Visually, her paintings are rendered in detail, with thoughtful intricacies mixed with bold and decisive strokes and use of color. These also reflect in her murals and oversized paintings, the same elements painted larger than life.
Ryan Bubnis is a multi-disciplinary artist, illustrator, and educator based in Portland, Oregon. Bold, graphic and deceptively simple, Bubnis’ imagery lives in the space between the abstract and representational. Equally influenced by DIY culture, art history, illustration, and design, he explores themes of memory, nostalgia, good vibes, and the human condition. Bubnis has collaborated with a number of commercial clients and agencies and his work has been exhibited across the U.S. and abroad. He is currently an Assistant Professor at The Pacific Northwest College of Art and is usually covered in cat hair.
Cameron "Camer1" Moberg's art often has a theme of life, nature, positivity and spirituality. Growing up surrounded by concrete buildings and urban blight, Cameron wanted to contrast his surroundings by changing the mood of his community. Bringing nature into a place where nature is lacking can often inspire and bring warmth to a cold, hard environment. Painting things of love and hope can often help someone make better decisions and continue persevering in hard times. Cameron resides in San Francisco with his wife and two sons where he paints murals and canvases. He is heavily involved in his community teaching classes for all ages. He curates gallery shows and art festivals as his desire is to see other artists pursue their passion or art and business.
TRAV is a Los Angeles-based artist who has made a name for himself painting graffiti on walls and trains throughout the United States. His work documents current times in society as we evolve from the physical world and emerge into the digital space. He pays homage to the craftsmanship of an older generation while embracing current technology to produce his work. Trav has chosen to focus on creating public work around this narrative to give back to the community. Collaging photographs of vintage signs and handcrafted typography, arranging them in various compositions that interact with geometric patterns. Bouncing between studio, public, and commercial work cohesively, staying true to his narrative and true to himself. He believes “living life on your own terms'' is essential to his process. Trav’s work stands somewhere between fine art, and graffiti; he has moved beyond the sphere of traditional graffiti to occupy a more permanent legacy.
Jorge “J.Duh” Camacho is a first generation Nicaraguense, self-taught artist who paints full time in San José, California. The San José born and raised illustrator expresses himself through classic Americana hand-painted signage with a cool punch line and street culture influence. In the past few years J.Duh has been able to execute dozens of large scale murals, as well as designs around the Bay Area. His work can be found at Eastridge Mall, San Jose Giants Stadium, Oracle, Nutanix , City of Palo Alto, California’s Great America, and now the Yahoo! San José Campus.
