John Valadez - No One More Magical
November 1-7, 2018
Castelli Art Space
5428 Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90016
curated by: Isabel Rojas-Williams
by Sandra Vista
Los Angeleno Artist Treasure "Tesoro"- Puro de Verdad
"Piernas Anime" 2017 oil on canvas 108"x 70"
Valadez is a ceremonial "keeper of the flame"- an artist who documents the sky and the earth of people of Los Angeles. Primarily, Valadez focuses on the communities of East Los Angeles-the Los Angelenos with a defined Mexican-American style. He says he is never going to retire. It would be impossible for him stop the fire from burning. His insightful, heart wrenching, art work, serves to feed him, the community he represents, and the art devotees privileged to experience his art work. In "Piernas Anime", (Legs Anime), the "beach girls" are walking off the canvas, plopping their high heels and wedges into the wet sand. West side surfer girls have particular styles-perhaps Roxy and Vans. These girls, that appear to vacillate from the past and the future, give us a glimpse of an alternative beach attire that is puro Los Angeles tambien.
Valadez' current exhibit invites us to see varied mixed-media, collages, digital prints and paintings. There are collages, on faux newsprint, of "pulp Mexican novellas" with traditional Mexican iconography of Dia de Los Muertos. Additionally, there are digital prints of downtown Los Angeles bodegas, Pop-graffiti on doors and buildings, and illuminating deference for the Native American and Chicano culture.
John Valadez, Isabel Rojas-Williams (curator), Carlos Iglesias (director)
One of Us
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