Juan Hernandez

“Movimiento.” 

Movement can represent changes in physical or emotional space, action, time, or access to freedom. When movement is extremely limited or controlled, such as in schools or prisons, our senses are automatically heightened to it. Even the smallest movements—shuffling in lines, eating in a crowded cafeteria, or rushing from place to place in hallways—can become chaotic. In large crowds, movement often becomes a collective blur.

For this project, I have asked students to create a set of photographs that best represents movement within Benito Juarez High School. Photos can be of a crowded hallway, a slow-moving clock on the wall, a school sport, the view changing outside a favorite window, etc. I have painted select images, which will be hung around the school in areas with varying degrees of movement. I’m interested in how movement is interpreted between different artistic mediums, in physical spaces, and as fixed art. 

-Thanks for giving me this opportunity to express the importance that we should all give regarding Movement. Movement equals change, without movement there would be no progression.  

-Being able to share my artistic ability that has got me through the last two and a half decades of incarceration, in my eyes, it’s truly a sign of progression. 

 -These paintings that represent my progression should make those that view them realize that any movement backwards in life, may make your life stand still, as I stood still for two and a half decades for the mistake I made.  

-After discussing my pieces of art, please view my other pieces of work on Instagram @jch_convictedart and see if you can identify a theme from several other paintings and how it relates to progression, other than movement as you see here.  Thank you all for attending.  In Solidarity – Juan  

For the 2022-2023 school year, Juan Hernandez embarked on the “Movimiento” project, aiming to capture the essence of movement within Benito Juarez High School. Recognizing movement as a representation of changes in physical or emotional space, action, time, or freedom, Juan encourages students to create a set of photographs depicting various aspects of movement in the school environment—crowded hallways, slow-moving clocks, school sports, and changing views outside windows. These diverse snapshots will be mailed to Juan, who plans to paint select images, transforming them into artworks to be displayed strategically around the school, each chosen location reflecting varying degrees of movement. Juan’s interest lies in exploring how movement is interpreted across different artistic mediums, within physical spaces, and as fixed art.

Throughout the project, Juan envisions the school becoming a canvas for these artistic expressions, where even the subtlest movements, like shuffling in lines or the rush in hallways, take on a heightened significance. By intertwining photography and painting, Juan aims to create a dynamic representation of movement that engages both the senses and artistic interpretation.