Low N Slow
2021-22
These works explore the Chicanx experience and aesthetic, focusing on the nuances of Los Angeles lowrider culture. They examine the interplay of masculinity and femininity, the juxtaposition of chrome and flesh, and the bonds of brotherhood, sisterhood, and tradition within car culture. The lowrider serves as both object and symbol—an outlet for creativity, ownership, and self-expression in the face of financial constraints, and a source of pride and beauty in spaces where these are often denied. It allows the driver to be seen in a society that has long attempted to erase their history and presence. These paintings evoke California dreaming: oldies on the radio, laughter, brownness, “smile now, cry later,” and the centrality of family. Ultimately, this body of work invites reflection, dialogue, and celebration of the complexities at the intersection of Chicanx culture, identity, and my own evolving journey of self-discovery.
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Lowrider car culture in Los Angeles is alive and continues to thrive in the city, suburbs and any place where Latinx people gather and live. This painting came about from a wanting to create an artwork where new and old, past and present, the natural and man made exist in the same composition.
My first experiences looking at art that reflected my culture and community came from a Lowrider Magazine someone gave me around the age of 15. There was a section where people could send in their hand drawn art. I remember sitting and copying the images and logos. |
"All the cars in the parking lot low profiling |
Low N Slow, 2021-22 30" x 40"
Are There Bikas in Wonderland? 2023