Luis Tapia is a pioneering Chicano artist who
for forty-five years has pushed the art of
polychrome wood sculpture to new levels of
craftsmanship and social and political
commentary. Tapia’s extraordinary figurative
works speak to the complexity of a
multilayered Latino/Hispano/Chicano
identity, history, and contemporary culture,
offering compelling insights and challenging
perspectives on life in the barrio, on the
border, and beyond.
Rooted in a folk art tradition established in
seventeenth-century New Mexico, Tapia’s work
at once honors its origins, reinterprets traditional
subject matter, and revitalizes age-old techniques.
Setting his subjects in innovative spatial and
conceptual environments, Tapia illuminates the
social, political, and religious issues of yesterday
and today, and the joy and humor of daily life. His
meticulously carved and painted figures flaunt
brilliant color and intricate detail, utilizing symbols
from history and popular culture with profound,
playful, or provocative visual effect.
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Photo by Jack Parsons.