OCHI is pleased to participate in the 9^th edition of Feria Material to take place at Expo Reforma, Av. Morelos 67, Col. Juárez, Del. Cuauhtémoc, Ciudad de México, México from February 9 through 12, 2023. The gallery will present Por Encima, a new suite of paintings by Los Angeles-based artist Ozzie Juarez in Stand B 09.

Blending generational histories, ancient folklore, unsanctioned public art, and references to pop culture, Ozzie Juarez uses visual languages and cultural signifiers to explore personal concepts of identity that are rooted in place, image, and object.

Beginning with a ground of synthesized rocky texture—a recipe of materials invented by Juarez—the surface of each portal painting is then soaked with rainwater collected from the courtyard of Tlaloc Studios—a studio building and community art space that Juarez founded and named for the Aztec god of rain. As pigments meet wet surfaces, colors disperse, bloom, drip, and settle. Thin layers of paint morph into faux stone—like an alchemist, Juarez transforms rain into the color of lapis lazuli. A metamorphic stone prized for its intense blue color, Juarez is interested in the totemic properties of lapis, specifically its associations with truth and infinity.

Inspired by Mexican goalkeeping icon Jorge Campos’ flamboyant uniforms—a style that embraced geometric pattern and contrasting color as a disorientation tactic and a celebration of his culture—Juarez paints beams of neon vectors that radiate from the axis of each painting. This pattern weaves above and below fragments of Mexica (Aztec) [pronounced Muh-shēe-kah] manuscripts.

Aside from honoring the Mexica people, culture, and deities, Juarez has created tributes to four of his own, each carrying great personal significance—Goku, Sailor Moon, Popocatépetl, and Our Lady of Guadeloupe—who anchor overlapping pattern layers. A fictional protagonist from Dragon Ball Z, Goku has become a role model to a generation, including Juarez, who says that folks “see a little bit of Goku in themselves.” Powerful, ambitious, kind, and fair, Goku and his anime counterpart Sailor Moon empower fans to be their best.

Named for a volcano in the Valley of Mexico, Popocatépetl was a legendary Aztec warrior betrothed to Iztaccíhuatl. She died of grief when she heard that he died in battle. When Popocatépetl returned he knelt beside her grave and the gods transformed them into volcanoes so their love would be eternal. This myth of love permeates Mexican culture, as does the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe. When Juarez paints a Guadalupe, he is always painting his mother—a deeply spiritual woman who changed her name to Guadalupe, an act of agency and devotion that Juarez has always admired.

In Por Encima—translated as from ontop—there are no conflicting systems of belief or clashing energetical forces. Complex motifs, cross-sections, and narratives not only coexist, but mesh together structurally and spiritually. The resulting paintings are portals into the past, present, and future—each a talisman, a protective spell, and an all-seeing Tlaloc eye.

Ozzie Juarez (b. 1991, Compton, CA) earned his BFA from the University of California Berkeley. Juarez’s work has been exhibited internationally at venues including OCHI, Charlie James Gallery, Control Gallery, Avenue 50 Studios, and Think Tank Gallery in Los Angeles, CA; Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in Anaheim, CA; and Root Division in San Francisco, CA—with exhibitions forthcoming at Saatchi Gallery in London, United Kingdom and Jeffrey Deitch in Los Angeles, CA.  His work has been featured in publications including Los Angeles Times Image Magazine, Hyperallergic, Juxtapoz, LAist, and WWD. Juarez is the organizer and curator of TLALOC studios, an artist-run community gallery and studio building in the South Central neighborhood of Los Angeles. TLALOC evolves with its members, providing a space that encourages and promotes the possibility of a sustainable life as an artist, or as Juarez says, “a lifestyle worth living.”

VIP PREVIEW HOURS

Thursday, February 9th, 12 – 8PM

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Friday, February 10th, 12 – 8PM
Saturday, February 11th, 12 – 8PM
Sunday, February 12th, 12 – 7PM