FEATURED CONTEMPORARY DIA DE LOS MUERTOS ARTISTS

Artist Statement — Frankie Orozco

My work is rooted in Los Angeles and in the people and environments that have profoundly shaped my perspective on the world.

As a contemporary artist, I am drawn to individuals who exist outside of conventional norms—bikers, lowriders, street culture, working-class communities, artists, families, and those simply navigating a city that can be both beautiful and unforgiving.

I don’t photograph these worlds from an outsider's perspective. I have established relationships with the people I photograph, and I understand the environments they come from because many of them resemble my own experiences. This access comes with a responsibility. My intention has never been to sensationalize or exoticize their lives; instead, I want them to see themselves in my photographs.

There is a contradiction in Los Angeles that continually inspires my work. Beauty exists alongside violence. Pride confronts struggle. Family contrasts with isolation. Dreams are forged in spaces that were never designed to facilitate their realization.

This juxtaposition is where much of my art resides, including my explorations of Day of the Dead art and Dia de los Muertos themes, which reflect both celebration and reflection of life and loss.

I am largely self-taught. Photography served as my initial language long before I grasped the broader art world or where my work would fit within it. Over time, I stopped concerning myself with fitting into those spaces. Instead, I became more focused on creating an honest record of the people, places, and moments occurring around me.

I’m not trying to romanticize Los Angeles, nor am I striving to condemn it. 

I’m simply trying to remember it. 

My photographs are evidence that these people were here, that these moments occurred, and that lives which may never make it into the official history of this city are a vital part of its narrative.