About

Born in 1996 in Guadalajara, Mexico, Luna de Jesús Licea is a self-taught Artist currently based in Los Angeles, California. He immigrated to the United States at the age of 10, moving frequently before settling in Yakima, Washington, where he spent his formative years. Licea envisioned a career in culinary arts, one that later transitioned into graphic design, where freelance work opened the door to a deeper exploration of visual storytelling through Oil painting. Since committing to painting in 2021, Luna has continued to develop a practice rooted in Community, identity, and cultural preservation and development.

In 2022, he completed his first collection, Growing Pains, a series that marked the beginning of his formal exploration into personal and cultural themes. Between 2023 and 2024, he worked on "I'm More of a Dreamer," a body of work that was independently exhibited in Los Angeles in the fall of 2024. Most recently, he participated in his first group show with Long Beach Creative Group, and a Q&A feature with the NYC-based Selfless Art Gallery offered an in-depth look into his creative process and evolving practice..

Statement

Much like the mind of a child, I look at the world and ask why things are the way they are—why our systems are built as they are. And like a child, I often struggle to make sense of our current reality: a system that doesn’t truly work, that strips people of culture in the name of capital, that moves too fast and does little to serve the ordinary person. We live in a world that values individuality over community, one that feels increasingly destructive—not only for the most vulnerable among us, but for the earth itself, as these same systems continue to shape our global climate.

I use this childlike wonder as a tool, a way to carve out a world that makes sense to me. Through oil paints and Sketches, my work captures moments of intimacy and care, focusing on the relationships between characters to build empathy and connection to our shared humanity. My figures are dressed in bright, colorful, and bold clothing—visually inspired by pre-Hispanic, Jalisco traditions and Nature. Beyond the romanticized scenes of community and tenderness, their garments symbolize freedom and are rich in cultural significance. Traditional clothing has often been one of the first things stripped from Indigenous communities and people of color. For me, reclaiming and reimagining it becomes an act of resistance—a kind of armor, a first line of defense for cultural identity and collective spirit.

I have no desire to make work that merely reflects the current state of the world. Instead, I aim to imagine one that dares to step outside the systems that glorify mass production, digital validation, and the acceleration of modern life. My work seeks to offer an alternative—a return to community, land-based knowledge, to slower rhythms. A world where actual progress is not measured by technological advancement, or one’s wealth, but by the depth of our connection to ourselves, to one another, and to the cultures that shape us.