'Art Held in Contemp.' Volume 2 by Briana Melendez

 I've always been a visually stimulated individual. As a kid I was always mesmerized by the vibrant colors in nature & much to my parent's dismay the metal radiators in our home quickly became works of abstract art as I was entranced by the melting of my 64 colors of Crayola. The MOMA is by far my favorite museum in all of NYC. I can never get enough of the smooth perfection in marble and the vibrant colors of early 19th century paintings. As much as I love all these beautiful representations of creativity I could never feel connected completely. They are products of bygone eras that while I can admire I could never fully feel a part. That all changed a few years back. I picked up this art magazine called 'Juxtapoz' & BAM! It hit me like a Batman punch. There were images I understood, images I could relate to. Artwork that made sense & represented me. Knowing that 'my' art was alive & kicking has sent me on a quest to look for artist & works of art in which we all can see a little bit of ourselves. With each new installment I'll be aiming to do just that. Sit back & enjoy the ride, I know I have been.

Jeronimo 'Dr. Lakra' Lopez Ramirez

Tattooist by profession, artist by nature, 'Dr. Lakra' whose government name is Jeronimo Lopez Ramirez) allows his craft to bleed over from the canvas of human flesh to vintage Mexican magazine covers, advertisements, photos and even on occasion to those adorable Kewpie dolls from yesteryear. Based out of Oaxaca, Mexico Dr. Lakra blends together Aztec, Maori, Thai & Filipino traditional body art along side Chicano gang imagery to create his unique brand of art. His start as a tattoo artist took shape while he was studying under Mexican painter Gabriel Orozco, initially he was going to be a comic book artist but he states that the growth of Mexican tattooing by local artist using homemade machines intrigued him so he went out and built his own unit to learn the craft himself. While his popularity as a tattooist grew during the 1990's his interest in the craft plateaued and he began to look for other venues to express himself creatively. Luckily for us his step towards painting and use of found objects has allowed his artistry to expand itself beyond tattoos and be shown in galleries around the world. I can't wait to see what his next step will be when he is ready to move on, I have no doubt that whatever it is will be as intriguing and beautiful as his current works.

'Untitled (Muscidae and Tea)'

Click 'Read More' below for more art.

'Black Gordman'

'Untitled (Pomada)'

'Untitled (Para Ti)'

'Untitled (Mujer Encadenada)'

untitled San Diego street art

'Untitled (Kewpie Doll)'

'Untitled (Retrato de mujer con calaca)'

'Untitled (Pedro Infante)'

'Untitled (San Juan Batista)'

'Untitled (Estrella Blanca)'

Converse Presents Dr. Lakra from Highsnobiety on Vimeo.

link to previous installment of 'Art Held in Contemp.'