Juan Hinojosa
Juan in his LMCC studio on Governors Island, NY.
Juan Hinojosa is a mixed-media artist who currently lives and works in New York. Constructed from found objects, his complex collage-drawings intimately challenge greed, obsessive consumption, and the social stratification embedded in American culture. Hinojosa received his BFA from Parsons School of Design and was awarded residencies at Material for the Arts (New York), the Vermont Studio Center (Vermont), and LMCC (Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Governors Island COVID-19 Response Residency program). His work has been featured in The New York Times, the Woodside Herald, and Open House New York. Hinojosa’s solo exhibitions include “Blonde Ambition” at Materials for the Arts (New York), “Ready for Their Stones” at the Allegra LaViola Gallery (New York), “All Mine”, Union College, Schenectady, New York and he was part of the Biennial at El Museo del Barrio (New York).
Can you tell us a bit about the process of making your work?
The work starts with years of collecting discarded readymade found objects. The city itself is full of random objects that are just waiting to be collected. I have decades of found objects and I have been organizing them into clearly labeled containers (of said color), and everything is carefully cut, cleaned, and stored. It might sound like I am a crazy hoarder but I like to think of myself as a super organized hoarder who has it totally under control. Mostly.
What are you working on at the moment?
Working in his studio.
My LMCC's Governors Island Residency Initiative in Response to COVID-19 just came to an end so right now I am working on a new series of collage portraits of mythological Peruivan deities, who were mostly shapeshifters. Their go to animal was the cat. While doing this, I am researching the history of Peruvian culture and our relationship to the gods and our understanding of them on a much more global scale.
We know that you identify as a "green artist," would you mind expanding upon that? How does this practice affect your materials and different ways of making?
As a "green artist" I only make work using found objects. All the elements the viewer sees on a sculpture or on paper were all found locally or during my travels. There is so much waste out in the world I feel I am doing my part in collecting what I can to upcycle trash into art. None of the found objects are altered or duplicated in any way.
What are some references you draw upon in your work?
Forgive Me, 2019
62 x 52 inches
Medium: Mixed media on paper.
Materials: Iron on patches, fabric, jewelry, fabric flowers, popcorn box, plastic toys, lottery cards, ink and found objects on paper.
As someone who lives off of pop culture, everything is a reference just because pop culture surrounds me constantly. In America we are bombarded with advertisements in more ways than ever before. And thanks to the pandemic, I have been glued to my TV and my iPhone as my only source of information, entertainment, and communication. That being said, the power/cleverness of advertisements has led me to focus on the use of color when building a collage. Color can be a delicate playground for which to exist in.
Juan Hinojosa
(detail) Gloria, 2020.
38 x 36 x 10 inches (96.52 x 91.44 x 25.4 centimeters).
Blinders, paint, spray paint, toys, trim, tape, and found objects on PVC.
Are there any themes in particular that you like to focus on when creating?
Color, greed, consumerism, and my view of America would be a couple of the themes in my body of work. As a child of two immigrants from Peru, it is hard not to take a step back and look at what is happening around us and who we are as a nation. As someone who is guilty of everything listed above (and more) I have been dealing with and learning how to break patterns. Ultimately, I am learning from my many mistakes.
Where are some of your favorite spaces that support contemporary art or design? Now that the art has an online presence has that changed?
It would have to be a tie between the Queens Museum and El Museo Del Barrio. The Queens Museum always surprises me with their exhibitions and I always leave having learned something new. Plus the walk through the park is simply lovely. The shows at El Museo are always personally touching and the most reflective of Latinx culture today.
Do you have any shows coming up? Anything else you would like to share?
Currently, I have a solo show at Union College in Schenectady, NY. Curated by Julie Lohnes. It is a site specific installation which runs until the summer of 2021. Next, I will be one of the 4 chosen artists for the Dieu Donne Artist Residency and I will be in another residency in the fall of 2021 (if all goes according to plan). Covid-19 has put a wrench in a lot of my 2020 and 2021 plans.
Juan Hinojosa’s work is included in our show “Eternal Flame,” Jan. 1st – Feb. 28th. Visit his website or Instagram (@juan_hinojosa_) to see more of his work.