Artist Spotlight: Joel Hernandez
If you are sick of hearing about masks, let us introduce you to Joel Hernandez, whose paper mâché masks are as much celebrations of the self as they are poetic musings on the parts of ourselves we hide. We spoke to him about heritage, the role of folk art on design, and how masks give us new identities and faces to greet the world.
Studio AHEAD: You were born in Mexico but emigrated to the US as a child, and now you live in San Francisco. Tell us about the role this journey has had on your art.
Joel Hernandez: I’m thankful for the journey I’ve had. It may have not been ideal but I learned a lot from the places that I’ve lived in. My background has always been a huge influence in my art. I constantly look back at those times. Not so much the time that I had as a child in Mexico but the time when we moved to the US.
There was an instant sense of nostalgia and longing for the life I knew but also an ever increasing hunger for the new life and the new ways in the new world. I’ve picked up a lot of that in my artwork with feelings of nostalgia, romance, drama, and the things to come.
SA: We are always interested in how local traditions play into design choices. In your work, there is a strong folk art influence. Can you speak about this?
JH: When my family and I moved to Indiana, I was very young. I had no idea what Mexican art and culture was. In Indiana, I had an array of peers and teachers who would stitch together what they thought my culture was. They thought it was all “5 de Mayo,” piñatas, paper mache masks, maracas, and whatever they learned in their Spanish class. It was very dreamy and safe but felt hollow of real emotion and identity. In a way I wanted to fill in those gaps and put a mixture of folk and the new culture I was creating for myself, the culture of an immigrant kid taking in everything around him as part of his new identity. Sometimes I think of my art as a tool that helps people find something inside themselves that they couldn’t explain.
SA: The titles of some of your pieces, like "Unforgettable Endless Summer" or "It's the time you spent on your rose...." for instance, are evocative or witty. They add another dimension to the work. What relation does language have in your art? Words are of course another way of masking.
JH: I first learned English through oldies music. I didn’t know at the time but it was also my emotional education. I didn’t have many friends growing up so I spent my time deciphering lyrics, the romance, longing, and heartbreak in music. When art came into my life, both oldies and art spun into what you see today. Almost like a 3D version of a song. Sometimes when I want to find inspiration I go back to those songs.
SA: You have spoken elsewhere about striving to create community through your art. How does San Francisco (or Northern California) make or un-make ideas of community?
JH: I’ve been in San Francisco for almost four years now. There will always be a strive to find community in me. I’ve lived in Mexico, Indiana, Florida, Texas, and now I’m here in San Francisco. I have learned a lot along the way but the moves made it difficult to set roots until now. I love this city and have found a good group of creatives that make this city shine with color. San Francisco has always been a beacon of culture, creativity, and social movements; and I am proud to be in the mix and to contribute to this great city.
SA: What's next for you?
JH: Currently I’m getting ready for the Art Market San Francisco on April 21-24 at Fort Mason. I’ll be represented by La Luz De Jesus Gallery in Los Angeles. A fantastic gallery that represents amazing and talented up-and-coming artists. I’ll be there as well talking about the artists.
I will also be having an art show at Analog Gallery in the Mission in May, along with fellow artist and friend Rayos Magos. My first duo show in the city.
SA: We always ask: what are some of your favorite spaces in nature around here?
JH: There is a bench in a park in Pacific Heights where I sit almost every morning with my husband to drink tea and look at the hummingbirds and the wild parrots that fly above us. The bench faces two homes that survived the 1906 earthquake, everything behind those homes was burnt to the ground. But these homes survived and we sit there looking at them and contemplate on life, how it changes, how it grows, and all that lies in between.
SA: Three Instagram accounts of local makers we should follow?
JH: I love @Rayos_Magos’s work. He does these amazing mixed media works that are very colorful and powerful.
I also love Selina Lee @selinaleeartist and the way she captures this city in a non-traditional way—a colorful, fantastic world.
Serge Gay Jr. is an amazing artist with many beautiful murals around town @sergegayjr. It’s always nice seeing his work out in public.
SA: Three cultural spots?
JH: City Art Gallery is a great gallery to see local talent in the Mission. I’ve shown work there.
Dolores Park on any given weekend. The confetti of people from all over the city is something to behold.
The botanical gardens at Golden Gate Park, I go there a lot to quietly walk through the flowers. With everything going on out there right now a nice quiet place to contemplate is a must.
Photos by Ekaterina Izmestieva
