El Salvador young creatives shed light to art in a violence-hit country

SCENES shines a spotlight on youth around the world that are breaking down barriers and creating change. The character-driven short films will inspire and amaze, as these young change-makers tell their remarkable stories.

Victor Canacas is a visual artist. He has worked in animation and graphic design since he was a teenager in high school but despite the education he received, he found that there was no art space in El Salvador where he could develop his skills as well as earn a living from it. He sought to change that.

Speaking to his friend and poet Fabio Rivas, the two brainstormed together and eventually came up with a plan - they would establish a multidisciplinary collective where artists with a range of skills could collaborate and support each other.

Victor explains how the need for artists to sustain themselves brought Astrálabe to life. It is clear that neither Victor nor Fabio were the only ones that saw this gap for a culture centre in El Salvador, and soon after other young creatives joined them in this venture. Armando Rodríguez, a composer and sound designer; Emmy Bonilla, a painter; Isela Castillo, a fashion designer; and Rebeca Castro, an actress, cemented the project into reality.

“It was by chance that we had the same taste, influences, conversations, dislikes and that brought us together. Coinciding so much is scary sometimes and when it happens it is because something important is happening,” declares Rebecca.

In a short period of time, Astrálabe has already launched several events such as workshops, fashion shows and concerts where they promote and sell their work.

“I had a vision of being able to set up my own tattoo studio and they welcomed me with open arms,” says Isela. “We have been doing