Through the digital book “Lavoe entre colores,” Victoria Rivas fuses editorial illustration and a passion for salsa to connect new generations with the legacy of “El Cantante de los Cantantes.”
Victoria Analig Rivas Rojas, an artist, illustrator, and graphic designer, was born in Valencia, Carabobo State, Venezuela. At just 20 years old, she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in Graphic Design from the Arturo Michelena University.
Since she was a young girl, her passion for art and music grew, deeply influenced by her salsa-loving, dancing, and music-aficionado (melómana) family.
Her childhood was surrounded by people who loved the arts. She began painting mandalas as a hobby, and since then, she has created numerous paintings and murals both inside and outside her native country, all of which are showcased on her Instagram account, @victoriarivasart.
Her love for music, especially salsa, motivated Victoria to develop her Undergraduate Thesis based on the history of the genre and the biography of her idol. In doing so, she created an illustrated digital book about the life and work of the singer and musician Héctor Lavoe, one of the most prominent artists in the genre.
Concerned by the widespread lack of knowledge among youth her age regarding salsa and the figure of Héctor Lavoe, Victoria utilized the knowledge acquired throughout her degree to preserve and convey this information through illustration.
To achieve this, she employed a qualitative methodology, working with a population and sample of academic experts in the field a musicologist, a graphic designer, and a seasoned salsa connoisseurconducting in-depth interviews with them.
As a result, she successfully demonstrated that illustration is a key tool, functioning as a cultural bridge between words and emotion.
She accomplished this through a digital format that provides easy access for newer generations, people unfamiliar with the subject, and fans of both art and salsa.
This is how “Lavoe entre colores” (LEC) [Lavoe Among Colors] was born an illustrated digital book that immortalizes the life and work of “El Cantante de los Cantantes” and the history of salsa.
“Lavoe entre colores” (@lavoeentrecolores) is structured into 64 pages, which unfold across 11 sections divided into Side A and Side B, emulating the classic cassette tape format.
The book summarizes the singer’s life in chronological episodes, using the titles of his songs as chapter names. It was designed over the course of more than 250 work hours, featuring vibrant, colorful undertones that invite the reader to linger and return.
“Every stroke represents my pride in uplifting Héctor’s name.”
Victoria Rivas
(An Illustrated Digital Book on the Life and Work of Singer and Musician Héctor Lavoe)
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