Lorenzo Hurtado Segovia (Past Project)

Demos Gracias, 2016
2259 Avenida de la Playa (above Galaxy Taco)
16' x 66' 5"

Lorenzo Hurtado Segovia’s mural, Demos Gracias, is a vibrant expression of gratitude and optimism. The title, Demos Gracias, translates to a call for thanksgiving. A golden sunburst emanates throughout the composition and creates a warm and lively glow, which transcends the image into a heavenly space above. Intersecting the image are brightly colored Papel Picado and Prayer banners that read “For Love”, “For a Better Future”, and “Thanks Be to God” as an echo of good will. Acting as a vibrant signifier of celebration, the Papal Picado is an integral adornment for many special occasions and a homage to traditional Mexican Folk Art. The mural sits above a restaurant in a fitting way, highlighting the idea of uniting friends and family through food and art to celebrate and give thanks for one another.

Lorenzo Hurtado Segovia’s work seeks to find its place within contemporary art while still being deeply rooted in traditional practices. Segovia was born in 1979 in Cuidad Júarez, Chihuahua, México. He received his BA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and went on to receive his MFA from Otis College of Art and Design, where he currently is on the faculty as an Associate Professor of Illustration. His work is based in craft traditions with themes of story telling, christianity, art history, and anthropology. He attempts to reform Christian themes and open up a conversation reinvigorated through new points of view away from conservative dogma. Although founded in painting, his work incorporates various materials and techniques including beads, embroidery, weaving, paper, and carpentry.

In 2015, the Vincent Price Art Museum in Monterey Park, California, organized the artist’s first solo museum exhibition, a survey of work from 2007 to 2014. Additionally, his artworks have been featured at the Hammer Museum, University of California, Los Angeles; Paperworks at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles; Fiberlicious at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles; the SUR Biennial, Los Angeles; and Material Cultures T BRIC, Brooklyn, New York. Segovia lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Photos by Philipp Scholz Rittermann