Artemio Rodriguez: Continuing Posada's Legacy in Contemporary México

Several contemporary artists have continued the tradition of printmaking in Mexico. Following in Posada’s footsteps, each of these artists has established their artistic styles and way to express Mexico one page at a time. In this exhibition, the curator would like to focus on three luminary artists who due to their distinct life experiences are continuing to influence future artists to come through their artistic creations. I chose for the physical exhibition some works of the following artists, Juan Pascoe of Taller Martín Pescador, Artemio Rodriguez of La Mano Press and lastly Sergio Sánchez Santamaría, whose work is inspired by the last generation of the artists from the Taller Grafica Popular (TGP) co-founder Leopoldo Méndez (1902-1969). For this online exhibition, the curator has focused primarily on Artemio Rodriguez and his selected images.

Artemio Rodriguez was born in Michoacan Mexico in 1972. He came to the United States in 1994 and lived for a time in Los Angeles. While the artist has worked in a variety of media, printmaking remains his predominant method of expression. And in 2002; he founded La Mano Press, an artist-run center dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of printmaking, which subsequently closed upon Artemio's return to Mexico in 2008. He is also the creator of many illustrated books and print portfolios. Besides his amazingly evocative graphics that are created from the linoleum cuts, Artemio has revolutionized his printmaking by transporting it to a non-print medium like automobiles. His visionary approach to the “boring” mobile libraries by converting them to exciting holders of the murals is more than a simple fashion statement. It is the assertion of Mexican cultural symbolism that is intended to stimulate the users of these libraries and in turn potentially increase the readership and usage of these libraries on the wheels.