luis salazar
My art demonstrates in an entertaining way how twisted and unordinary the world is. Using photography, video, animation, and sound, my narratives and abstractions zoom into small subjects—such as a soda can, box of matches, and even people—to examine how they function in a large world. These functions emit feelings of anxiety, inferiority, and uncertainty. By exaggerating negative feelings, my work regularly comes off as humorous and dark.
Influenced by a 90s and 2000s indie aesthetic, I combine commercialism with innocence and the grotesque. I do this as a means of triggering emotional responses, such as shock, disgust, sadness, and joy. I believe my art will help people understand that everything in the universe—every planet, person, child, animal, object, and article of trash—has a unique story. If I don’t know the story, I fantasize around a personal narrative. My representations become relatable and hint at a broader subject like pollution, consumerism, and crises. Simultaneously, I can humanize the ordinary, and my goal is for viewers to empathize with the ordinary.
