Aaron Estrada
Belly
September 9 - October 20, 2023
Belly was an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Los Angeles-based artist Aaron Douglas Estrada that examined the metaphorical expression “belly of the beast,” a phrase used throughout history for being in the heart of a challenging situation. The work explores identity, the dynamics of commodities, and navigating through life’s everyday struggles. Each artwork becomes a repository for acts of decolonization and a testament to self-preservation rituals. It serves as an archive for memories, with the intent to both honor and question.
This exhibition contained a diverse array of materials, sounds, and paintings. These included chandelier webs crafted from chains, hand-painted subwoofer music boxes that serve as veladoras (candles) filled with bouncing beans accompanied by audio clips. The sculptural works incorporate salvaged materials from random encounters and gifts from loved ones. The paintings are transformed from drop cloth canvas into serged tapestries that reference Indigenous textiles and cobijas. These materials allude to the intricate nature of identity and its challenges within a consumption-driven economy. This intricacy forms a web of socioeconomic factors that ultimately shape the very essence of our being. What does it mean to confront adversity, honor heritage, and exist in a world both challenging and beautiful?
Aaron Douglas Estrada is an artist whose work explores the relationship between the body and its surroundings, moments of play, and the process of decolonization. As a first-generation Salvadorian native of Los Angeles, he draws inspiration from his upbringing in the city and his interactions with diverse cultures and lifestyles. Through his artistic practice, he documents the materials he encounters and captures the energy embedded within them, reflecting on collective memories and everyday life. His work serves as an archive for these memories, incorporating songs, sayings, and cultural symbols that carry multi-layered histories into his sculptures, paintings, murals, public artworks, and installations.
@aarondestrada
