Artemio Rodriguez | Lotería de la Vida

EXHIBITION: May 1 - June 28

OPENING: First Thursday, May 1, 6-8pm

View Exhibition Preview Here

La Lotería I by Artemio Rodriguez - Davidson Galleries

Artemio Rodriguez, La Lotería III. Linocut

Davidson Galleries is pleased to present Lotería de la Vida (The Daily Gamble), opening Thursday May 1st. This exhibition focuses on the games, the roll of the dice, the lotteries we’re forced to play. Lotería is a popular game commonly played in Mexico and widely known for its bold, graphic imagery. Like bingo, the game involves a lot of luck and influence from outside forces. In Artemio Rodriguez’s Lotería series, the celebrated Mexican poet, scholar, nun, and women’s rights advocate Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz joins La Migra (The Immigration Officer) and El Zapatista (The Zapatista) on the board. Great legends are unlucky neighbors with the enemy.

La Lotería II by Artemio Rodriguez - Davidson Galleries

Artemio Rodriguez, La Lotería II. Linocut

Even worse, we’re being played by a different group of game masters, like Uncle Sam. In the Seven Deadly Sins series, Uncle Sam is bitten by lust (Attack) and terrorizes the globe with a machine gun (Wrath). The world’s chaos and cruelty are clear in Rodríguez’s images. So is the absurdity: A skeleton Uncle Sam rides Cerberus, chained by TV and oil, with the banner “We are the defenders of the cheeseburger” in The Defenders. On our side, we have the locals (Hermana), la Virgen (Dolorosa II), and native royalty (Inchátiro). The odds are against us, but we’re still in the game.

Artemio Rodriguez, La Lotería II (details). Linocut

“We are the defenders of the cheeseburger” -Artemio Rodriguez

Artemio Rodriguez, Defenders Linocut

Artemio Rodriguez (Mexican, b. 1972) was born in Tacámbaro, Michoacán, México in 1972. He studied printmaking under Juan Pasco, master printmaker at Taller Martin Pescador (Kingfisher Workshop) in Mexico City. At the age of 21, Rodríguez immigrated to Los Angeles and became a printmaker at Self Help Graphics. He also co-founded La Mano Press in 2002 in Los Angeles before relocating to Michoacán in 2008 as La Mano Gráfica, a gallery and printmaking studio. Rodríguez directs the Library of Illustrated Books (Biblioteca de Libros Ilustrados, BLI) including its traveling library, the Bibliográfico, a converted 1977 Toyota, one of his many public projects and a companion to the Graficomovil, a 1948 delivery truck converted into a gallery and printmaking studio. Rodríguez is known for his linocut prints as well as his murals, vehicles, and children’s books.

Artemio Rodriguez, Músico Al Atardecer. Linocut

Influenced by both European medieval woodcuts and Mexican cultural symbolism developed by artists like José Guadalupe Posada, Rodríguez’s style emphasizes simplicity, clarity, and narrative. His images come from contemporary icons like American cartoons and chicano culture and historical traditions like mythology, surrealism, zodiac signs, and Mexican costumbrismo. A poet at heart, Rodríguez uses the physicality of the printmaking process to write stories in images. His work has been exhibited internationally; is held in the collections of many public institutions including the Seattle Art Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Library of Congress, and Museo José Guadalupe Posada; and is published in the book American Dream.