Hi! My name is Bianca Falanga and I'm from Logan Square - a neighborhood in Chicago, IL. I studied Digital Design and Marketing Strategies at Tulane University. My final BA exhibit pieces incorporate a mix of media - illustration, photography, typography, and digital graphic editing. I'm a yogi, a dancer and a creative! I love traveling and observing the world, and I LOVE to call Nola my second home.

I’m from Chicago and chose Nola as my home for the past four years. It’s a difficult place to not immediately fall in love with and feel a sense of mystery and spirit. Before attending Tulane, I of course knew about Katrina and its impact on the city. Very quickly after moving to Nola, I learned of Katrina’s immense impact on the city, people, and spirit. It didn’t feel like Chicago or any place I’ve ever traveled for that matter. Nola immediately felt like home - the people were welcoming, the music was magical, the food was mouth-watering. The city felt so strong - so bonded. I was amazed by how this tragic, category five disaster left an unwavering resilience among the city - and I felt this so strongly. In my art, you will see these concepts of New Orleans’ steady perseverance throughout its adversity.

My Vacate piece depicts a dichotomy of the iconic Vogue cover. By using the same graphic style and similar font (a modified version of Didot), I intended to get viewers to see the word Vacate but feel as if they were reading Vogue. I hoped to draw people into the magazine they knew well, but to flip the viewer’s experience on its head by creating a range of emotional and visual dichotomies with this re-named masthead.

To accomplish this, I asked myself - “Who would never be chosen to grace the cover of this world-renowned magazine?” That led me to feature a man who is homeless and living on the streets of New Orleans as the central image. (Hence the name Vacate.) My goal was to draw people in emotionally and drive awareness regarding the topics facing those people living the exact opposite of a Vogue lifestyle.

My second piece, Seeing Scars, was inspired by Warhol’s “Kennedy Assassination - Jacqueline Kennedy” with the evolution of a traumatic event. This piece carefully discovers the people of New Orleans’ effect before (top row), during (middle row), and after (bottom row) the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe. Before Katrina, the people emulate strength. Depicted are iconic images of: Louis Armstrong, Mark Steinmetz - a 21 year-old art school dropout in 1995, and an old photograph of Ivory Mae - mother of 12 children who lost her home in the storm. During the hurricane, the powerful collectiveness turns to fear, portraying: a young girl separated from her parents, survivor Angela Perkins, and an incredible portrait photographer Clayton Cubitt. The bottom row echoes this steadfast recovery and disposition of New Orleans including images of survivors: Jordan Bridges, Burnell Cotlon hugging mother Lillie Cotlon, and Kim Taylor + Yashakia Charles.

The iconic symbol of a New Orleans home in the center is faded away, yet still present. The phrase "NO PLACE LIKE HOME" runs across the width of the piece depicting the many lives and homes lost but the everlasting resilience and ability to call New Orleans, home.