In this Episode of Art is Awesome, Host Emily Wilson spends time with Mexican born painter, Luis Felipe Chavez.
Welcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area.
This episode of "Art is Awesome" features painter Luis Felipe Chavez, who discusses his journey from a small town in Mexico to exhibiting his work in San Francisco. Emily explores Luis’s background, his inspiration from Mexican muralism, and his experience navigating life and art between two countries. The conversation covers his solo exhibition "Intermedial," which juxtaposes places and architecture from Mexico and the United States, reflecting on themes of migration, identity, and cultural overlap. Luis shares personal stories about his artistic development, the impact of winning a drawing contest as a teenager, and the influence of artists like Jose Clemente Orozco.
About Artist Luis Felipe Chavez :
Luis Felipe Chavez is a queer artist originally from a small town in central-western Mexico. His artistic journey began at the age of fourteen with drawing and painting classes in Guadalajara, Jalisco.
From 2015 to 2020, Chavez pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Arts at the University of Guadalajara. Each summer during those years, he traveled to the U.S. to visit his family—spending time working alongside his father and brother in the agricultural fields of Bakersfield, California, and in factories in Phoenix, Arizona.
In 2020, amid a global atmosphere of uncertainty and loss, Chavez completed his degree and began developing a new body of work. Later that year, driven by a desire for change despite limited English and lingering fears, he packed a few clothes and some paintings into a suitcase and moved to California.
By the end of 2021, Chavez relocated to San Francisco, where he continues to live and work. Working primarily with traditional drawing and painting techniques, his art explores themes of migration, labor, identity, and belonging through a queer, cross-cultural lens.
Visit Luis' Website: LuisFelipeStudio.Com
Follow Luis on Instagram: @LuisFelipeStudio
More on Luis' exhibit "INTERMEDIO" at Jonathon Carver Moore CLICK HERE.
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About Podcast Host Emily Wilson:
Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine, Latino USA, and Women’s Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco.
Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWil
Follow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast
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CREDITS:
Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson.
Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
The Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions.
For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com