Luis Tapia

Luis Tapia is a pioneering Chicano artist who has pushed the art of polychrome wood sculpture to new levels of craftsmanship and social and political commentary. Tapia’s extraordinary figurative works speak to the complexity of a multilayered Latino/Hispano/Chicano identity, history, and contemporary culture, offering compelling insights and challenging perspectives on life in the barrio, on the border, and beyond.

Tapia was born in 1950 in the village of Agua Fría, and fully embraced his creativity during the Chicano movement of the late 1960s. The call for cultural awareness prompted Tapia to explore the artistry of his ancestors, who had established a strong tradition of making polychrome santos for home and religious use beginning in 1598.

Tapia expanded on classic single-figure themes. He shunned the then-popular practice of making unpainted santos, instead applying bright paints to his carvings from local woods, as early New Mexico santeros (saint makers) had done. When homemade paints did not achieve the vivid colors he desired, Tapia opted for commercial acrylics. This approach underscored his belief that centuries-old santos, now faded with age, were originally brightly painted (a fact later confirmed by conservation scientists).

He then ventured into the broad conceptual realm of sculpting works based on original ideas and commentaries reflecting modern life.

His works have been exhibited internationally, and acquired by private collectors and museums. His work has been widely reviewed and included in several publications, and he has received many awards for his contributions, including the 1996 New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, the state’s highest artistic honor. [https://luistapia.com/bio]