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Daniella Salvatore

3202849

02 April 2023

Dr. Lakra

Jerónimo López Ramírez also known as Dr. Lakra, is a Mexican artist who I would

say demonstrates what a contemporary artist is today going against society's norms and

creating his own sense of style with his own combination of materials and influences while

being culturally diverse. He uses these old magazines, newspapers, vinyl covers, toy figures

and anything he has collected over the years and mixes them into his own personal style

which sometimes includes tattoos on them, which is his main profession (VICE). This is a

perfect example of Dr. Lakra showcasing taboos because in Mexico, and other parts of the

world, tattoos, odd images and publicly displayed art of women being sexual is frowned upon

but the urge to create regardless is astounding. We would not have these odd creations if it

was not for the will of Dr. Lakra.

In the VICE video, it is interesting to hear that Dr. Lakra from his time moving around

and collecting things, grabs influences from all types of cultures such as Japanese art also

relevant to artists in lectures who were influenced either by ukiyoe prints or how Shahiza

Sikander studied and did miniature paintings. In regard to the video, it is important to

mention how society drives him to create because not only being Mexican but living in

Oaxaca, which is heavily populated by Indigenous people, the fight to protect your land and

culture is incessant. Dr. Lakra pulls out these old newspapers of graphic crime photos years

ago and with these important subject matters, I think Dr. Lakra is used to these harsh realities

because of his familiarisation and wants to share it to the international art world. Some people

create things that they do not subconsciously take in as taboo but as inspiration from their

realities, as would queer artists for example. In this day and age, as we are all easily mixed
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with different cultures and ideas, artists tend to put things together and give it their own

meaning very much like Dr. Lakra. I mean how can you not since we have the internet and

access to so many items, what do you do with this information? An attendee of Gabriel

Orozco’s workshops ( Kovach pg 93) who is a famous contemporary artist from Mexico as

well, there was engagement and learning of how to give meaning to different materials and

relations to the consumer culture which opened doors and knowledge to the international art

world that both artists have been successful with being in the spotlight. The creation of

juxtaposition of old images with contemporary personal additions and thoughts is astounding

and unique as you will see. With regards to this context, let us look into a mural from Dr.

Lakra from an art gallery called Kurimanzutto, located both in Mexico City and New York

City (Kurimanzutto) where Dr. Lakra showcased a solo exhibition.

A mural Untitled, 2009 is a gigantic wall drawing that reaches from the floor to

almost the ceiling spanning about the whole gallery. It looks like if a collage using black ink

and oddities in a sci-fi film, naked women, Japanese and African influences had babies on a

white wall. This art is truly amazing because it puts the viewer as the small spectator as these

images surround and hover you having to walk thoroughly to catch each different unique

drawing. Similar to minimalism because of its simple set up and black and white colours, this

work when you walk around it, gives you different views and you can see the resemblance of

influences of pop culture, magazines, toy figures and even some African face mask art when

fully interacting. A perfect example of the contemporary art world of hybridity. You can see

how the accumulation of the influences Dr. Lakra had of these drawn images, there is a

hidden motif of commercialism. The display of vintage-like images seen in pornographic

magazines (money magnet for the male gaze) or the writing which resembles comic titles like

“Sal Si Puedes” in the mural, drives the attention of the audience for its uniqueness as it did

before as well to its original audience. Besides the uniqueness, it gives conversations on
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topics such as taboo and fetishization where in today’s world is more openly discussed than

before and although provocative for some, it is also being socially acceptable nowadays. As

said best in the words of Taylor, “The energies contained in this mural were both threatening

and vibrant.” (Taylor) Depending on whoever views it, the perception and feeling is all up to

the viewer making it a subjective appreciation for this art, as most contemporary art is as

well. In relation to his profession as a tattoo artist, the art of drawing reflects this mural

because of the clean lines drawn, the attention to shadows, shading and can even resemble the

tattoo style of Japanese art and traditional tattoos that the mural portrays. These juxtaposition

of historical, societal, pop culture influences gives me the idea of Dr. Lakra having loads of

mental collages if you will, besides being known for actually doing collages (Dr. Lakra). For

the execution of this mural to have happened, all these combinations and mixes of imagery

was a thought first and the execution is beautifully done clean with the walls being white that

really puts the black art in the spotlight. There can be said an influence of Dada art (Stoll 9)

because of the satire, neglect for traditional, conventional and radical art. It is a whole

experience in itself.

The abundance of influences from this black and white mural from the historical, to

the pop culture to Dada art and more is astronomically remarkable. Dr. Lakra is a perfect

example of what a contemporary artist is. The tug and pull of appreciation of womens bodies

to its oversexualization, the beautiful art of tattoos to the stigma around it, to the cultural

influence of African to Japanese and more is prominent in this mural and other works done

by Dr. Lakra. Your gaze follows each unique image drawn with new thoughts in place from

all the hybridity. With all the accumulation of pop culture, history, society, political views and

more, how can we make something new? Regardless if it may be seen as taboo or “ugly”,

unconventional, the will to create paintings or sculptures to reflect these influences into
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unique work of art makes a great contemporary artist much like Dr. Lakra who is still

pursuing his passions regardless of what the audience has to say.

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Bibliography

“VICE Meets: Dr. Lakra.” YouTube, 4 Oct. 2016,

[Link]

Kovach, Jodi. “Remotely Mexican: The Critical Reception of Gabriel Orozco’s Mobile

Matrix, at Home and Abroad.” Art Journal, vol. 78, no. 1, 2019, pp. 88–106. JSTOR,

[Link]

Kurimanzutto, Kurimanzutto, [Link]

Taylor, Jessica Berlanga. “Dr. Lakra: KURIMANZUTTO.” Artforum International, vol. 48,

no. 4, 2009, p. 255–.

“Dr. Lakra.” Kurimanzutto, 2009,

[Link]

Stoll , Kristina Carol. Identity and Postcolonialism in Dr. Lakra's Tattooed. StudyLib, 1999,

[Link]

“Dr. Lakra.” Kurimanzutto, [Link]