Facebook Open Arts: Check Out New 360 Messenger Backgrounds from Visionary Artist Joshua Vides
Since the beginning of the year, Messenger and Facebook Open Arts have been collaborating to bring contemporary art to your phone. Today, Messenger is launching the fourth part of the ongoing partnership.
Working with a diverse series of artists from around the world who come from underrepresented communities, Messenger and Facebook Open Arts have brought an exciting lineup of 360 backgrounds to Messenger Rooms. Each background is customized by one of the artists in the series in a way that nods to the artist’s cultural influences and unique story.
The fourth artist in the series is Joshua Vides, a self-taught designer from Southern California who is known for his black and white style and his contributions in fashion and streetwear. Joshua has created two distinct black and white 360 backgrounds for Messenger. The first is inspired by his soon-to-open LA-based coffee shop, Matte Black Coffee. The other 360 background, The Room, showcases an intriguing space with Joshua’s art pieces, and it also expands the more you look around in it.
Black and white has always been important for Joshua. “Everything starts with a sketch,” says Joshua. “I wanted to take everything back to its origin, utilize the medium of black and white, and create this style that incorporates all these influences in my life.”
Growing up in Rialto, California, Joshua had a desire to create from a young age, often re-drawing cartoons and replicating skateboard graphics. He experimented early on with black and white illustrations and writing his name on walls. He discovered the idea of being a graphic designer, which led him to ultimately laying designs on products for influential figures, such as Takashi Murakami.
By bringing important pillars of his life’s work to Messenger’s platform in the form of Matte Black Coffee and The Room, Joshua is providing an opportunity for millions to immerse themselves in his unique and distinct style. “I want as many people as possible to enjoy and experience my work,” says Joshua.
To access Joshua’s background, simply start a video call or create a Room from Messenger or Facebook. Tap the effects icon on your self view then select “backgrounds” to access Joshua Vides’ background. Messenger Rooms lets you create a room to host joinable free video calls with up to 50 people and no time limit.
About Facebook Open Arts
Facebook Open Arts empowers community through creativity. As a company dedicated to bringing people closer together, Facebook recognizes that creativity is essential to our collective wellbeing. Within our walls and around the globe, Facebook Open Arts cultivates creative engagements that offer new ways of thinking about ourselves, our communities, and the world at large. Learn more at fb.com/facebookopenarts and follow us on Instagram at @FacebookOpenArts.