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Abel Aguirre
A native of southern California, Abel Aguirre started his career as a self-taught artist, drawing inspiration from the barrio art and surf side aesthetics around San Diego. He lived as an underground artist throughout the 80s and 90s before enlisting in the US Navy in 1999.
In 2019, Abel retired from 20 years of military service and settled in San Antonio, Texas where he continued his unique style of colorful abstract and contemporary paintings influenced by his childhood in San Diego. He quickly became enchanted by the similarity of the San Antonio and San Diego culturas that he felt mirrored each other. He presents both places in his art through a compare and contrast to show how two geographically separated places remain tightly bound by the strength of culture.
He is currently working on a senior exhibition as part of the Visual Arts and New Media undergraduate program at Our Lady of the Lake University. The public art exhibition will be a celebration of San Antonio’s West Side and the barrio’s of San Diego.
After serving 20 years in the Navy, Abel thought that his barrio days in San Diego were far behind him. For Abel, the West Side represents a return to his Chicano roots and the art in his exhibition is his way of acknowledging his Chicanismo.
Abel will be graduating from Our Lady of The Lake University in 2024 with a BA in Visual Arts and New Media.
Resume (PDF)
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Artist Statement of Work
Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):
My art has always been a personal space; an escape, insulated from the dramas of the world. I am convinced that it was the fantasy worlds presented in 80s children’s television shows that cultivated my desire for such imaginative conceptual spaces. Mr. Roger’s Land of Make Believe transported me away from the anxieties of childhood and Gumby’s clay world appealed to my imagination. These creative environments have worked their way into my art since childhood.
I believe that there is a distinct demarcation between a child’s creativity before and after they enter the public school system. They intuitively create highly expressive abstract art with little expectation from themselves or others, resulting in highly unique, energetic, and creative work. In school, they begin to measure their art against others and switch to a more standardized art stye. The bird that they once drew abstracted and full of expressive energy, suddenly becomes a lazy “m” in the sky. When I create my art, I am trying to revert to a childlike perspective to achieve a fresh level of creative intuition, which I think produces a theme and aesthetic that appeals to the child in all of us. When displayed as a collection, which has the feel of an installation, the art becomes a conceptual space. It's full of color and energy and is provided as a respite to viewers. It is a place where everyone is welcomed to visit and forget their anxieties for a moment as I try to evoke a youthful spirit within them.
Culturally Specific Art Category
Select Culturally Specific Art Category:: Hispanic or Latino/a/x