Video by Taylor Seely
Local artist Hugo Medina, best known for his murals, will present his newest series of canvas paintings in a solo show at the MonOrchid gallery from Nov. 7 to 28.
Medina’s art for the show is inspired by his two daughters Olivia and Emily, 10 and 11 years old, respectively, who moved to Chicago this past summer with their mother, Medina’s ex-wife.
Medina said his daughters’ move devastated him. He said the three of them were inseparable, and every art piece he’s started since their departure has revolved around them.
“They were visiting me one day and I was like, ‘Let’s go home,’” Medina said, “And they were like, ‘Your home or our home?’”
Medina said at that moment he thought to himself, “What is home?”
The new show, therefore, is called “Home.”
Medina said he’s not questioning what home means so much as he’s discovering how broad the term is.
“When I was in college, home was with my friends,” he said. “Home is Bolivia, where I was born (and) home is where my wife is … and home will always be where my kids are.”
To express the mixed emotions, Medina said he is showcasing several paintings that show historic figures placed in front of modern Phoenix buildings and vice versa.
“I’m going with the changing face of Phoenix,” Medina said. “So (I’m) touching on what is Phoenix and the history that’s being lost and the new developments.”
Medina said whether the change is portrayed positively or negatively is up to the viewer.
“I’m just recording history as it happens. That’s what artists do,” he said.
Medina’s wife, Kira Olsen, whom he met in November 2012 and married a year later, said she was really excited for this show because it showcased Medina’s personal side.
She said his daughters’ move out of state was a transitional moment that he struggled with.
Nicole Royse, MonOrchid’s art curator, said she was thrilled to have Medina at the gallery.
“He’s such an inspiration for the community with all the wonderful murals that he contributes to our valley,” she said. “I’m so excited to curate his exhibition, and it’s going to be a wonderful event with authentic, intricate paintings.”
The collection will feature 10 paintings, some of which sprawl over two canvases.
Medina, who typically creates large art pieces like murals, said he’s sticking to his standard theme of “big.” The average size of each painting is six feet by four or eight feet.
Medina created his first mural was when he was 4 or 5 years old. His dad, a respected Bolivian architect, built a house and left a blank wall for Medina to paint on. He said he painted scribbles throughout the whole house, not just his assigned wall.
Medina’s parents moved the family from Bolivia to New York when Medina was 6 or 7 years old. After the move, his parents went from being respected, upper-middle-class Bolivians to dishwashers and maids.
“They were chasing the American Dream,” he said.
Medina’s father worked full time and went to school to get his architecture license while his mother worked her way up to a managerial position.
Medina studied at Long Island University and graduated with degrees in fine arts and education.
“I was lucky,” Medina said. “My parents didn’t let me fall into any stereotype.”
He moved to Arizona in 1998 and took a 10-year break from art to get married and have kids. He returned to school to get his masters in education from the University of Phoenix, later teaching at Squaw Peak Elementary School and other locations.
Medina took time to be a stay-at-home dad, or what he called “Mr. Mom”. When he returned to teaching, he said his heart wasn’t in it.
In 2006 he decided to focus more on his life as an artist. In 2009, Medina held his first art show in Arizona. Since then, he has worked primarily in street murals and canvas paintings.
Medina has been working on a collection of murals for elementary schools that focuses on inspiring kids to come together and work toward graduation and attending college.
“I think it’s great he’s having kids think about graduation and inspiring drive within kids,” Olsen said.
While Medina said the school murals all look somewhat similar because they’re centered around the same theme, he said that in all his other series he constantly challenges himself to change it up.
From his first series featuring hands playing guitars — dedicated to his father, who always played for Medina when he was young — to his “Home” show on display in November, Medina said he tries to evolve by adding different colors and painting different things.
“The moment I stop challenging myself is when I should stop painting,” Medina said. “(Otherwise), I’m not creating anymore, I’m regurgitating what I know.”
“Home” opened on First Friday Nov. 7 and will remain open until Nov. 28 at the MonOrchid.
Contact the reporter at Taylor.Seely@asu.edu
