Bio: Lucino Sosa Montaño (He/Him/EL), a Maplewood-based artist, defies categorization through his diverse portfolio. A Ñuu I’ni (Mixtec) native of southern Mexico, Sosa immigrated to the US in 2005, shaping his unique fusion of illustrations, collage, photography, and poetry. Exploring themes of grief, joy, and trauma, his art serves as a medium for introspection and empathy.

Sosa helps to open spaces for systematically excluded communities through his work. Advocacy intertwines with his art, fostering activism and opening dialogues for underrepresented groups. He also guides others in expressing their emotions, using art as a tool for healing and storytelling.
Committed to social justice, Sosa’s political art sheds light on the struggles of marginalized communities, igniting discussions and support for those sidelined by systemic injustices. #HastaLaLucha.

Art Statement: I integrate various mediums to express the complex emotions and trauma inherent in my identity. My art unveils narratives often concealed by societal shadows, challenging the erasure enforced by US laws and legislation. Refusing to conform to invisibility, I assert my presence with unyielding resilience, embodying the enduring flame combating all perceptions of ashes.

Each piece emerges from a process of personal healing, where sketching precedes the creation of my work, reminding me of their potency as tools of empowerment. Drawing inspiration from diverse sources including Japanese Anime, Indigenous art, and Pop Art, my work becomes a nexus of personal resilience and collective struggle.

By leveraging my art as a catalyst for change defying systems of exclusion. It’s vital to showcase this work in a country that denies my right to selfhood, forging connections between art and advocacy to confront daily injustices. Silence is complicity; through my art, I refuse to bow down to a world that seeks to render me voiceless.