Pavel Acevedo was born in Oaxaca City, a well-known center for printmaking within México. Acevedo now does his creating as a member of the inaugural residency program at Self Help Graphics & Art in Los Angeles, a community arts center currently presenting its first exhibit, The Shell in the Clouds (El Caparazón en las Nubes).
Acevedo’s work combines historical, ancient Mexican tropes with images and modern stories of young immigrants and city life, bridging the two phases of his life. His portraits convey honesty and affection.
One of my favorite Acevedo pieces, Greed from 2020, expresses the repulsion I feel for the deadly sin that causes so much grief in the world.The tongue sticking out, the hand always grasping for more, the horns — all appear hidden behind a benign, pretty mask.
Acevedo’s Nature’s Sermon sends chills up your spine with its message of warning. Always present in his work: the expectation and hope that we can do better, as in his Utopia. By mixing all the experiences of his young life Acevedo offers us a printmaker’s strong graphic vision: Keep hope alive!
Nature’s Sermon
Utopia
Pavel Acevedo on his own work, from a Self Help Graphics interview this past December with Marvella Muro: “The images created in this series of prints are a celebration of the rebelliousness that is part of ourselves. I’ve been part of protests since I lived in Oaxaca and seeing them in the US is inspiring… Protests cross borders and inspire others.”