Catacombs Gallery: As a non-binary, first generation Mexican American, Moises Salazar’s work is heavily influenced by their lived experiences, cultural upbringing, and the Chicago queer community. Salazar dedicates their practice to advocating for the communities they are a part of, and their paintings act as a visual exploration of their interest in, queer nightlife, trans experience, and immigration activism. Using glitter, a material often stigmatized, Salazar creates depictions of queer and immigrant bodies. With their own likeness as template, Salazar creates faceless figures serving as a stand-in for any queer Latinx youth. Through Salazar’s paintings, these bodies are proudly defiant and become immortalized to combat the erasure of these communities. Inspired by fashion and drag culture, Salazar uses a myriad of embellishments, fabrics, and textures combined with traditional Mexican craft techniques. Through this process, the bodies Salazar paints become immortalized to combat the erasure of these communities and transform that pain into healing and restorative energy. For more information, go to: www.epiphanychi.com

Photo Credit: Moises Salazar