Celebrating 6
Artist September, 2022
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OH Art Foundation presents 5 artists to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrating Chicago City we love with the Art by Hispanic artists; Visual artists Sebastian Izquierdo, Evelio Castelan Jr. and Van Paugam with Musician’s Duo performance Maria Elena Hernandez and Dheeru Pennepalli.
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Sebastian Izquierdo | @chicagoseb
Born in Bogotá, Colombia in ‘79, moved to Chicago in ‘85 and grew up in the city & suburbs. I was brought up bicultural & multilingual in a lower middle class family who lived in roach infested apartments in 80s Chicago. My parents were blue collar workers and we were able to upgrade quickly to large (animal-controlled) gated communities and I went from iffy public school to exceptional private Montessori schools. I graduated university in Tokyo, Japan in 2010 after spending several years finishing my Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs from Temple University, Tokyo Campus and with help from my family and govt loans / grants.
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I lived in Tokyo for almost a decade and have lived in lots of different areas in the USA, but I always come back to Chicago, the focus of my art today. I create my images on my iPad by using a combination of pixel/raster techniques as well as vectors, which are digitally created shapes that are colored and put together in specific ways to create an image, kind of like electric cut-and-paste.
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Evelio Castelan. Jr. | @hippobubblegum
Born & raised in Chicago since ‘92. My parents were both born in Mexico, met in Chicago, and started building their life here. I have experienced growing up in Chicago as a lower middle class Latino. I’ve enjoyed & explored Chicago via bicycle, buses, and trains – that’s the best way to experience it. I collected art materials for no exact purpose other than I liked the idea of artistic possibility.
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After meeting @chicagoseb, I was encouraged to pursue art & create. I’m inspired by Latino culture, the 90’s, patterns, vibrant colors, & random things I see as I’m out & about. Today, I create art with the intent to elevate moods and cause joy to those who see it. I also want to highlight the mentality and beliefs of young people today, which can be silly at times. I create all of my art on the iPad using vectors, and raster techniques.
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Van Paugam
Originally from Miami Beach, FL, moved to Chicago in 2011. Part Cuban, Van calls on his Latin heritage to dream up work that is seen through the lens of his people’s struggles of the past, and visions of what could be in the future. Having a deep appreciation for Chicago’s rich cultural history, he creates works inspired by science-fiction writer Phillip K Dick, who was born to the city.”
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Music Performance
Maria Elena Hernandez, Dheeru Pennepalli and Matthew Jung are three core members of A Light Sleeper, a minimalist experimental band from Chicago playing together since 2005. In this pared down version, the trio improvises using looping pedals creating unexpected sonic textures and auditory landscapes. Maria Elena Hernandez – alto sax, tenor sax; Dheeru Pennepalli – guitar, Matthew Jung – keyboards and percussion
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