Josias Figueirido- Piri the Dreamer and Flying Coyote in the Garden #9

About Piri the Dreamer and Flying Coyote 

Piri the Dreamer and Flying Coyote are Josias Figueirido’s signature fictional characters. They  were born in Laredo, Texas, at the US-Mexico border, in 2022 while Figueirido was teaching  students who crossed the bridge from Mexico to the US every day of class. Inspired by personal  and biographical experiences related to immigration, the fictional story of Piri the Dreamer and  Flying Coyote speaks of universal friendship and the unexpected bond that grows between  people who were never intended to meet or get along but are united by the same desire for a  new beginning far from their places of origin. Figueirido says, “For me, fictional stories blend both  imagination and reality and can connect people cross-culturally. As an artist, fiction gives me  control over my stories. I enjoy the freedom of deciding what is possible.” Piri the Dreamer and  Flying Coyote stand for never giving up on dreams, nurturing friendships, building community,  and having a curious and open mind. 

Josias Figueirido is an artist from Spain based in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. His work is at the  intersection of art and design, digital and physical spaces, and real and imaginary stories.  Combining analog and digital processes, Figueirido’s creative strategies involve building narratives  in 3D modeling software before they are disseminated in paintings, drawings, animations, and  merchandise. He earned an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, a Postgraduate  Diploma from the Royal Drawing School, and a BA in Fine Arts from London Metropolitan  University. He has been in residence at EMAR by Collar Works, Wassaic Project, Millay Arts,  Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences, Vermont Studio Center, Moritz-Heyman,  Dumfries House, and the Fabric Workshop and Museum in the Post Graduate Apprentice Program. 

His work has been in exhibitions in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He is the  recipient of the 2019 Cindi Royce Enger Fellowship from Second State Press and a 2021  recipient of a Challenge America Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for a  collaborative project. His work is in private and public collections including the Horseman  Collection of American Art and the Francisco Fernandez del Riego Museum. He is currently an  Assistant Professor of Art at Seton Hill University.

2022
Acrylic on panel (Ampersand Claybord)
30” x 30” (76 x 76 cm)
$2,500