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Draft:Monky

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Monky
Middle-aged man with long dark wavy hair and light-colored shirt speaking in front of a brightly colored poster
Monky in 2015
Born
Pedro Tolomeo Rojas Meza

1962 (age 62–63)
San Lorenzo, Jauja, Peru
NationalityPeruvian
Known for
MovementChicha

Monky (born Pedro Tolomeo Rojas Meza, 1962) is a self-taught Peruvian graphic artist and pioneer of the chicha poster movement.[1][2][3] His street posters, characterized by bold phosphorescent colors and pasted on walls throughout Lima's neighborhoods, have become synonymous with the chicha genre of music.[2] He developed his distinctive visual language during the 1970s and 1980s, establishing the foundation of the chicha poster aesthetic.[4][5]

Early life and education

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Monky was born in 1962 in San Lorenzo, a district in Jauja in the Junín Region to a farming family.[2] His early design work was in a single color only.[2] He moved to Lima in 1980 with the intention of studying to become a mechanic,[6][7] and worked as a mechanic, waiter, combi fare collector, cook, and day laborer.[2][7]

Career

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In Lima, he continued to develop his design practice, creating murals, flyers, and various forms of advertising.[2][7] In 1978, he created his first posters using stencils and spray paint.[7] In 1983, Monky began working with poster maker Juan Tenicela, creating serigraphs using burned mesh screens and clothing dyes.[8]

After a year of working with Tenicela, Monky established his own workshop.[8][9] His first major clients were chicha musicians Chacalón and Tongo, who hired him to create posters for their concerts.[9] His work subsequently began to spread throughout Peru.[9]

Monky has also makes large stage banners,[6] painting directly onto the cloth itself instead of using an intermediate paper.[10] Despite the introduction of laser-printing technology that enables printing large-scale work and has largely replaced manual creation in the industry, Monky creates his work by hand.[6]

He has created posters, album covers, and logos for prominent chicha musicians, including Alegría [es],[2][7] Celeste [es],[7] Chacalón,[2][7][11] Los Destellos,[7] Génesis,[7] Karicia [es],[7] Los Pakines [es],[7] Pintura Roja [es],[6][7] Los Shapis,[2][1][7] Tongo,[1] and Los Walkers [es].[7]

As of 2024, Monky continues to create posters to promote cumbia concerts,[3] and is supported by his nephew in his Lima studio to meet international demand.[4][10]

Artistic style and technique

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Brightly colored poster with bold orange and pink letters reading "Cholo Fino" against neon green and yellow background
A sign by Monky that reads "Cholo Fino" ("Classy Cholo")

Monky's art is influenced by the landscapes, sculpture, and costumes of the Huancayo region,[5][4] including the 20 January festival in his hometown, particularly the colorful costumes of chonguinos dancers and traditional clothing.[6] His grandmother dyed clothing with fluorescent pigments in the late 1960s, which she called "colores escandalosos" ("scandalous colors").[8]

Monky's early work used a color palette of blue, red, yellow, and orange against a black background.[6] In the late 1980s, Monky discovered fluorescent pigments in latex form at a hardware store and had the Diamanti company prepare fluorescent pigments specifically for serigraphy.[8] His technique involves hand drawing, stenciling according to color, and serial printing of 100 copies per mesh screen.[7] He works freehand without using models or computers.[9]

Impact

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His work has influenced artists such as Nación Chicha, Feliciano Mallqui, Ruta Mare, Carga Máxima, and Elliot Urcuhuaranga.[7]

Monky noted that his work has been more appreciated outside of Peru than within, stating that, "in other countries we have love and support; they let us do the work we do on the walls."[12]

Recognition and awards

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  • In 2013, Monky was featured in the exhibition "A mí qué chicha" at the Centro Cultural de España in Mexico City, at the invitation of fellow chica artist Elliot Túpac.[8][13] Monky won the mural contest.[7]
  • In 2014, a poster he designed for the second "A mí qué chicha" exhibition in Mar del Plata, Argentina won first prize.[10]
  • In 2015, Monky was invited to participate in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where he demonstrated his silk-screening techniques, gave daily free workshops, and spoke with visitors.[2][7][12]
  • In 2020, Monky's work was featured in "Revolución Chicha: Street Art & Graphics of Perú," an exhibition at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The show highlighted his role as a pioneer of chicha art, particularly his development of the movement's distinctive aesthetic, and positioned his work within the broader context of Peruvian street art and political activism.[5]
  • In 2021, the Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC) presented a virtual exhibition of his work.[7]
  • In 2025, his work was featured prominently in the exhibition "Neón Chicha" at the Museo del Grabado ICPNA, which included an installation called "Monkylandia" displaying his posters created from 2013 onwards.[8]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Vargas, Andrew S. (26 October 2016). "Meet the Self-Taught Artist Behind the Bold Look of Peru's Psychedelic Cumbia Posters". Remezcla. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "When the Poster Promoting the Concert Is as Exciting as the Music, You Know You're Listening to Chicha". Smithsonian Magazine. June 2015.
  3. ^ a b Gachet, Karla; Kashinsky, Ivan (10 October 2025). "Peru: Chicha, the Electric Pulse of Cumbia". NPR The Picture Show.
  4. ^ a b c "Behind the Scenes: Exploring Peru for the Folklife Festival". Washingtonian. 6 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Mroczek, Andrew. "Revolución Chicha: Street Art & Graphics of Perú". Lesley University. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Tolentino, Scheila (9 February 2024). "La historia de Pedro 'Monky' Rojas, el peruano que creó los afiches chicha: diseñó para Chacalón, Los Shapis y más" [The Story of Pedro 'Monky' Rojas, the Peruvian Who Created Chicha Posters: He Designed for Chacalón, Los Shapis and More]. La República (in Spanish).
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Gutiérrez, Czar (9 August 2021). "'Monky', Pionero de los Carteles 'Chicha': Popularizó un Estilo, Pero la Gigantografía 'Mató' su Trabajo" ['Monky', Pioneer of 'Chicha' Posters: He Popularized a Style, But Gigantography 'Killed' His Work]. El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Villar, Alfredo (20 September 2025). "Neón Chicha: Contra Estéticas Desde el Arte Pop/Ular Peruano" [Neon Chicha: Counter Aesthetics from Peruvian Popular Art]. Artishock Revista (in Spanish).
  9. ^ a b c d "Pedro Rojas, el 'Monky': El Pionero de los Afiches Fosforescentes y la Caligrafía Chichera" [Pedro Rojas, the 'Monky': The Pioneer of Fluorescent Posters and Chicha Calligraphy]. Peru21 (in Spanish). 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Villar, Alfredo (July 2021). "Monky, Pionero de los Carteles Chicha" [Monky, Pioneer of Chicha Posters] (in Spanish). UPC Cultural, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas.
  11. ^ "Artes gráficas: conozca a Monky, el pionero de los carteles chicha del Perú" [Graphic Arts: Meet Monky, the Pioneer of Peru's Chicha Posters]. Andina Agencia Noticiera (in Spanish). Lima. 1 August 2021.
  12. ^ a b Yang, Ina (7 July 2015). "Peruvians Love Their Chicha Street Art. City Officials... Not So Much". NPR Goats and Soda.
  13. ^ "Anoche se inauguró «A mí que chicha»" [Last Night 'A mí que chicha' Was Inaugurated]. Lima Gris (in Spanish). 2 February 2013.
[edit]
  • Media related to Monky at Wikimedia Commons
  • Chicha Poster Art on YouTube – Interview for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, 2015
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