Angel Olegario Luna
(He/Him)
Statement:
I have worked in figurative art methods for the last twenty-four years. I grew up working in farm fields, so I find clay to be like keeping my hands in the earth as I did as a child. My figure work is based on current political issues in the United States, especially immigration.
In the Spotlight is a series about the night crossings and spotlights being lit on people by the border patrol. This gives a human face to the experiences of crossing the border.
Gente Not Numbers is a series I started in 2004 after an invitation to make work for a show dealing with sense of place. The series is of farmworkers with false social security numbers on their chests or in hidden locations on the body. Workers are not just numbers you can replace, but also the experiences of being and interacting with the worker. The clothing is based on actual examples from my time as a field laborer and being part of a family of laborers.
Who is Your Superhero? is part of the Gente Not Numbers series. It is based on farmworkers who are essential and critical at bringing food to our dining room tables. This pandemic has shown that these workers are critical for society to function.
Who is Your Superhero?
Ceramic
22” H x 12” W x 6” D
Alt Text: Human figure with backward green cap, blue shirt with Captain America shield, yellow rain waders with mud on the legs and muddy boots.
In the Spotlight
Ceramic
17” H x 10” W x 3” D
Alt Text: A human figure, mostly in black, with three spots where the spotlight is hitting it, showing the color. Text written on front “Sueno delayed”. Text written on left leg “hands up”, Text on right arm “deer in headlights”, text on back “once twice three veces”
About Angel Olegario Luna
Angel Olegario Luna was born and raised in Prosser, Washington. Angel is a first-generation college graduate, a child of migrant farmworkers. He graduated from Whitworth University with a Bachelor of Arts in history. He completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ceramics/sculpture at Eastern Washington University in 1998. He received his Masters of Fine Arts at University of Idaho in 2002. He is a residential faculty of art at Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona.