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Leonardo Herrera
Leonardo is a self-taught visual artist living in San Francisco, specializing in photography, digital collage & multimedia. His pieces utilize a hyper-stylized aesthetic to deliver social commentary and illustrate contemporary iconography.
His images have been published nationally and internationally in iD Fashion Magazine, Surface, Camera Arts, Attitude, 7X7, DNA and are routinely featured in the local, alternative and online press.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"The concept of "era” is crucial to my work, which is deeply rooted in the politics and sexuality of the 60’s counterculture, 70’s gay liberation and early 90’s fashion industry. As a first generation Mexican immigrant and openly gay male, globalization, magical realism and camp are recurring themes in my pieces.
I am deeply moved by our emotional investment in the effects of time on the photographic process, how the yellowing of a print can be a trigger for nostalgia, curiosity or scientific detachment. I work extensively to process images and select palettes that recreate the muted rainbows of memory, borrowing elements of graphic design, cinema and fashion photography to create works that are both timeless, yet inescapably modern.”
HOMOSEXUALART.com Artist Statement:
"This work is about the homosexual experience. It is an archeological dig into the ruins of every gay man, the sacrifices offered to the gears of biology. It is a collection of portraits, still lives, photomontages & video pieces that illustrate figures and places relevant to gay culture. The silent earthquakes of adolescence, the darkness of the closet, the sorrow and fear of a plague. As we attempt to free ourselves from these traumatic experiences, as we assimilate into a mainstream culture, as we deal with increased visibility, we tend to sterilize a rich culture drenched in the sensuality of self-acceptance. This work is the loving record of a culture flourishing, yet asphyxiating in a sheath of latex, always in paradox, existing as both parade and funeral procession"
www.leonardoherrera.com
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