Latinx Artist Marcel Alcalá Is in The Ascendant

The Latinx painter, ceramicist, and performance artist recently took the time to let us peek into their mind and creative process. From their past experiences, to their plans for the future, and everything in between, they take us through what truly makes their iconic works shine.

What is your definition of your style of art? Why do you make this type of art?

There has been an immediate diaristic approach to my recent works. Through surrealist and neo-expressionist techniques in oil painting, I process personal and simple human moments in everyday life. Moments like questioning what it means to exist in a body, my Latinx experience, and being queer in our current climate. In the simplest terms, I make this work because it's a part of my lived experience. I’d like to show my point of view to not only a broader audience, but a younger generation of queens like myself.

What does your work aim to say? What emotions do you strive to evoke from your viewers when they see your art? If not emotional, what is your intention/objective?

The aim is dependent on the work itself. Each piece is like reading a short story, some works are more literal than others.

Tell me about yourself. What has brought you to this present moment in your life and inspired you to create the pieces you have?

Queer AF. I have long hair, long nails, and a very hairy body. Born in Santa Ana, CA, and came into my own on the streets of Chicago. I moved to Los Angeles after bopping around New York, Mexico City, and Paris. Each piece I make is an opportunity to grow and process something new. It’s become an addiction. Existing is exciting to me, and to exist is a reason to keep making. Living is inspiring and traumatizing!

Where do you go to get inspiration?

Are there any specific places or people that you need to be around? Location is very important to my inspiration. Whether it is writing a book of poetry in Paris, performing as a clown in underground clubs in LA, or writing movie scripts in Brooklyn, the scene is where I’m inspired most. Queer nightlife has always been an influence to me as well, from Mustache Mondays in my early 20s, to most recently, at El Prado every Tuesday. Most recently I’ve been spending a lot of time at places like the Groundlings and the Laugh Factory to check out performances by stand-ups and improv queens.

What did you think you would be doing with your life before art came into the picture, and how did you end up here? Was there any particular moment that inspired the start of your career?

The moment I saw a Basquiat Retrospective at the MOCA at 12 years old, I knew being an artist was for me. The colorful linework and references to his background as a Haitian-American in Brooklyn made an immense impact on me as a child. His ability to speak about politics through such a colorful medium is what I wanted, and still want, to strive for in my work.

With the increase of eyes on you and your artwork, do you have any personal goals or missions that you intend to get across to others who do not have your platform?

Doing solo shows at institutions that I frequented as a child has always been important to me. OCMA, MOCA, MOLAA, etc. I'm working towards more museum exhibitions. A couple of years ago, I was fortunate to have some work acquired by actor/collector Cheech Marin, who houses one of the largest collections of Chicanx works. This spring, he’ll be opening his museum in Riverside, a city I grew up going to all my life to visit family, a city with a majority of Latinx residents.

What are your cultural inspirations? Do you have any social or political influences that you showcase through your art?

Yes, Mexico, and the USA, and in-between. That idea of the “in-between” is inspiring within itself. Whether it’s through gender, land borders, or the body in general, the in-between is where I live and thrive.

What do we have to look forward to with your upcoming work? Are you focused on any new projects that you can share with us?

I'll be showing some new paintings with Night Gallery.

Marcel Alcalá Untitled (Ocean View), 2021 oil on canvas 30 x 30 in (76.2 x 76.2 cm) MA069

Marcel Alcalá Pancake Face, 2021 oil on canvas 40 x 40 in (101.6 x 101.6 cm) MA073

Marcel Alcalá Is Rubble Now, 2021 oil on canvas 40 x 40 in (101.6 x 101.6 cm) MA074

Marcel Alcalá Stigma, 2021 oil on canvas 40 x 40 in (101.6 x 101.6 cm) MA075

Images courtesy of Night Gallery, Los Angeles

Art

LIA by Iga Drobisz

Your work often explores intimacy and vulnerability. How do you create a safe and authentic environment for your subjects during a shoot?

The past few months, I’ve been working on two series of photographs: nudes of women in their own apartments and portraits of women before and after giving birth. Both series involve capturing them in deeply personal spaces—bedrooms or nurseries—where they feel at ease.

Shooting in their spaces, in their own beds, plays a crucial role in creating comfort. I choose film and cameras that show them in a way they find beautiful and empowering, emphasizing softness and warmth. It's a stark contrast to modern, hyper-detailed phone cameras that sometimes reveal more than one wants to see.

Your photography has a distinct emotional depth and texture. How do you approach the interplay of light, color, and composition to achieve this?

My process is highly intuitive. I’ve never formally studied photography or apprenticed under anyone—I learned by experimenting and seeing what felt right. It’s about trusting my instincts rather than adhering to rigid rules.

What role do personal experiences or cultural influences play in shaping the stories you tell through your images? Many of your photographs feel deeply narrative.

Growing up, I was surrounded by great cinematography. My grandmother had a TV, but my mom only brought home VHS tapes—films with substance. I think that exposure shaped how I see the world, how I approach subjects, and the narrative depth in my work.

What role does spontaneity play in your shoots? Do you leave room for improvisation, or is everything carefully planned?

To balance spontaneity and structure, I go in with a clear plan and strong direction, but I remain open to surprises. It’s about letting the subject feel like the shoot is about them, not me. That openness often leads to the most unexpected, meaningful moments.

What inspired the shoot with singer Lia? How did it come together?

Collaborating with Ruby and Naomi always takes me out of my comfort zone in the best way. For this shoot, we wanted to transform someone with an iconic face but also someone like Lia—someone with a clear sense of self.

Giving her a completely new look was exciting; it brought an unexpected energy to the set. The approach was playful and experimental. The night before, I had no idea what wigs Ruby would bring or what colors Naomi might choose. It was a beautiful mix of spontaneity and collaboration.

What inspires you the most?

Movies and music are big inspirations for me, as well as the work of other photographers like Carlijn Jacobs, Harley Weir, Rineke Dijkstra, Charlotte Wales, and Nan Goldin.

What emotions or truths are the hardest for you to express through your art, and why?

I don’t think I consciously try to express specific emotions when I work. Instead, I follow what feels right in the moment—what draws me in or excites me that day. It’s less about a deliberate expression and more about letting intuition guide the way.

Art

Luna Luna: Surrealist Spectacle Lands in New York

November 21, 2024

In the 1980s, André Heller, an Austrian artist, singer-songwriter, and former actor, was looking for a new place to showcase his art. He had already taken to gardens, creating a colorful, surrealistic character using 40,000 flowers, and to the skies, organizing a 'fire theatre,' which involved an over-the-top fireworks show complete with steel-frame sculptures set on fire. But he had never tried out a fair.

So began "Luna Luna." Created as the world's first art carnival, "Luna Luna" combined the spectacular with the absurd, showcasing original rides and attractions from rising and already-at-the-top artists in Hamburg. Nearly forty years since its debut, followed by foiled plans for a worldwide tour, breached contracts, and 44 storage containers, the art fair has finally returned, calling New York home after re-debuting last year in Los Angeles.

By Hailey Johnson
Photography by Delvin Claro and Sabrina Sarnitz, courtesy of Luna Luna LLC

On a recent evening in Hudson Yards, a small carousel featured characters in quirky, Twister-like poses and an outstretched dog with seven legs. (Almost a century old, the rides are no longer rideable.) Goofy wooden sculptures were elevated in another corner, some of them cross-eyed or with a horn for a nose. A geodesic dome glowed, with Gregorian chants hovering somewhere above it.

"It's an art experience like no other," Michael Goldberg, Chief Experience Officer of Luna Luna, said recently. "People get to see artists do things they've never done before," he added.

Goldberg, founder of Something Special Studios, a creative agency behind many Nike campaigns, was determined to resurrect “Luna Luna” after reading about it online in 2019. Goldberg shopped for investors, eventually teaming up with DreamCrew, a media company co-owned by the rapper Drake. (Details on the company's investment remain vague; sources have reported that DreamCrew spent over "100 million dollars.") In 2022, an intensive restoration process began, with a team of artists reviving many of the original works, which had remained in boxes in a Texas warehouse for over thirty years. Several had been in pieces. (The team reportedly had to rebuild each work "bolt by bolt.")

That night, at the Shed, fourteen out of the original thirty-five works were on display, including the small carousel (Keith Haring), the goofy sculptures (Kenny Scharf), the neon dome (Salvador Dali), and a towering Ferris wheel decorated in drawings of stick figures, upside crowns, and references to Jim Crow (Basquiat). Missing works are in a "constant state of restoration," Goldberg said. Meanwhile, new attractions are joining the line-up. For the New York show, the Puerto Rican duo Poncilí Creación was commissioned to create "PonciliLand," a blink-and-you-miss-it section where guests "can create fantastical characters out of custom building blocks." Poncili also developed floating characters, inspired by performers who circulated the original “Luna Luna” fairgrounds in 1987. Known as "Lovers," the two characters, large and dreamlike, teetered to one side, mumbling the kind of nervous groans one does before a fall. (They never ended up falling.)

I asked Goldberg if, given that today's culture doesn't quite look or feel the same way as it did in 1987, there was any hesitation in showing some of the original works. On a back wall, a tribute featured Manfred Diex's "Palace of the Wind," a show featuring performers who fart into a microphone; on another, two ornate pedestals held sculptures of spiral poop.

"I don't see any reason why we wouldn't show any of these works," he said. "A lot of the time, art is exclusive and uninviting. The big difference between “Luna Luna” and other art experiences is that it has many sides to it, and things that have a bit of humor and playful energy. "As for "Palace of the Winds,” the decision to keep it was simple: farting is universal. He went on: "The “Crap Chancellery" is, conceptually, one of the most important works in “Luna Luna.” Daniel Spoerri's dad was killed in the Holocaust, and the work was inspired by Albert Speer, who was Hitler's architect. He took the facade of what was meant to be a Nazi shrine and turned it into the facade of a bathroom with two steaming statues of shit standing on the outside. These works are extremely important and are things that we would definitely want to honor and draw attention to."

As “Luna Luna” further develops, the show will likely change. "It will continue to evolve as we go to different cities in response to the spaces that we pop up into and in collaboration with the local city," Goldberg said." With it, there will be new characters and new stories to tell. One aspect that won't change, though, as Goldberg assured, is a long-held sentiment about a potential partnership. At one point, early on during the original “Luna Luna” era, McDonald's wanted to buy into it. Heller said no, adding that he "didn't want it to feel like Disneyland." Goldberg agreed. Nonetheless, as I watched Kenny Scharf's dizzying swing ride go around for what felt like the hundredth time, with the cartoon characters decorated on it blurring together (one with a villain's grin, another morphed into a martini glass), I couldn't help but feel like maybe I was at Disneyland, only not as robbed, but just as entertained and exhausted by its rides and fantastical characters, and wanting to go again.

Luna Luna, Hamburg, Germany, 1987.

Art

Pamela Sneed’s Speaking Tongue opens at Dashwood Projects

November 15, 2024

Pamela Sneed’s latest exhibition, Speaking Tongue, will be on view at Dashwood Projects from November 20 to December 21. The show features twenty watercolor and ink paintings inspired by her recent trip to Kenya, where she was deeply moved by the elegance of giraffes, the landscapes, and the energy of Nairobi.

Blending her background as a poet and visual artist, Sneed’s work reflects on themes of identity, nature, and connection. Her paintings capture the beauty and spirit of the animals she encountered, alongside reflections on her own experiences as part of the African diaspora.

This exhibition marks Sneed’s first solo show with Dashwood Projects and will be accompanied by a new book, also titled Speaking Tongue, to be released in December.