SaveArtSpace is proud to present Queer Messages, a public art exhibition on billboard ad space in Los Angeles, CA, curated by Johanna Toruño of The Unapologetic Street Series.

The Queer Messages selected artists are Mercedes Zapata, and Jude Peña.

How holding space for each other as chosen family as folks who have to create our own reimagined realities; to be queer and or to be a migrant person one of our gifts is the ability of starting over; of building our communities and honoring traditions through street markets, food vendors, and all in between creating possibilities to reconcile with yourself through a bowl or spoon or hand. To the Queers setting tables for house dinners, family gatherings, and chisme sessions. When a whisk can be used to feed and nurture us in the kitchen and to make wheatpaste and liberate public spaces. A dedication to the Queer folks who are the keepers and cooks of our reimagined and new traditions and stories. To the queer families and people building networks of care and resilience, to the Queer folks who long for family, and all the beautiful and complicated experiences and nuances in between. To existing and spreading into ourselves and loved ones.

Opening May 3, 2024, SaveArtSpace will launch public art installations for each selected work on billboard ad spaces in Los Angeles, CA. The public art will be on view for at least one month.

Selected Artists

Location: 1st St & S Lorena St

Mercedes Zapata is portrait photographer whose work challenges notions of respectability politics regarding sexuality, gender, and ethnicity through imaginative imagery.

Her photography is abundant in color, luxurious in texture, full of wonder, expressive and memorable.

Zapata aims to expand representation of marginalized communities by celebrating the people in front of her camera in a manner that is authentic to them.

Zapata lives and works in Los Angeles, and stays rooted in the Southwest Side of Chicago.

Connect with Mercedes on Instagram at @mercedes_zapata.

Jude Peña (b. 1992)

First image - We are here, and we will remember, 2024 Pastel, graphite, colored pencil on watercolor paper

Second image - Voracious Appetites, 2020 Graphite, colored pencil, watercolor on watercolor paper

Location: W 3rd St & S Coronado St

Jude Peña (b. 1992, Lives and works in Los Angeles, CA) was born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents. They received their Bachelor’s in Art from UC Berkeley in 2017. Peña’s practice takes a playful approach to a non-binary sense of self. Through their colorful palettes that they often use, there is a strong desire to be seen, unapolegetically, while also wanting to remain hidden. In trying to depict figures and things that aren’t explicitly the artist themselves, each piece undeniably becomes a representation of Peña. Figures that exude a playful energy, dressed in baggy clothing used as a tool for the performance of self, embraced in other bodies–these signature moves become an invitation for vulnerability, openness, and individual expression. Through their continuous journey of shedding layers and taking on their true identity, Peña invites those who feel similarly to take pride in their self-expression, to love themselves without shame, and to love others the same. These are the necessary ingredients towards community care and community building towards better futures.

Connect with Jude on Instagram at @conduitlove.

Curator

Johanna Toruño The Unapologetic Street Series

Location: Melrose Ave & Heliotrope Dr

Johanna Toruño is a Salvadoran-born artist and Founder of The Unapologetic Street Series, utilizing the streets as a public platform and gallery. Her bold imagery and statements, often adorned in lush florals, celebrate queer, working class, and immigrant communities. Through her work, Toruño challenges social norms and centers messages of self-reflection and self-acceptance. Using a soft aesthetic with colors that remind her of home, Toruño brings storytelling and a chance for her audience to re-learn and decolonize their own self to accessible spaces. Her political and social messages highlight topics of reimagining norms, and the joy of holding space for collective liberation. Johanna is a TED speaker and Lecturer at Universities like Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, and others. Johanna's work has been featured in The New York Times, Teen Vogue, NPR, Nylon, and more., Johanna lives and works in Los Angeles with her partner and 2 dogs. If she's not wheatpasting she's cooking. 

Connect with Johanna on Instagram at @johannareign and @theunapologeticstreetseries.

SaveArtSpace

Founded in 2015, SaveArtSpace is a non-profit organization that works to create an urban gallery experience, launching exhibitions that address intersectional themes and foster a progressive message of social change. By placing culture over commercialism, SaveArtSpace aims to empower artists from all walks of life and inspire a new generation of young creatives and activists.