Tag: frida kahlo

Ballad of the Chicano Nerd

yanez

Being a Chicano nerd can be a lonely affair of puzzled looks and references that no one else gets. For instance, there are plenty of Chicanos out there and Mass Effect 2 is one of best selling games of 2010 and 2011 yet I wonder how many culturally engaged Chicanos play Mass Effect 2. With that question looming over me I created the artwork above.

I LOVE Mass Effect 2 and recently finished my second playthrough (with a Chicana Shephard, natch). Indulging my inner Chicano nerd I drew an encounter between Frida and I complete with Mass Effect 2’s dialogue tree. The original renegade speech option was simply Let’s fuck but I figured it was too abrasive.

I wonder if anyone out there will relate to both a Frida joke and a Mass Effect 2 joke? In the meantime I’m taking solace in this photo of Tupac and Suge Knight playing a Sonic the Hedgehog game on the Genesis.

Peace,

Rio

El Rio’s Valentine’s Day Cards 2011

yanez

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of my friends,  lovers, and drunken makeout partners! El Rio’s Valentine’s Day Cards are back for 2011 like a Sir Mix-A-Lot song! This is the 5th year of my cards and it’s turned into my longest running project. Enjoy!

As always, please post these cards on the pages of your online friends, real life enemies, booty calls, baby daddies, and friends with benefits. To see an archive of cards from years past CLICK HERE.

 

Peace and Love,

Rio

You’re Gonna Cry flyers, tickets, and more!

yanez

No, these aren’t real bands/concerts but they are elements of the set I designed for Paul Flores’ play You’re Gonna Cry opening this Friday! Buy tickets here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/148104

The names are all bands I’ve wanted start at one point or another. I haven’t actually made music since my garage band days in high school but I’m always fantasizing about band concepts and names. So far Los Jizzers de Tepeyac has gotten the most responses on facebook.

To accentuate the set I decided to add some street art stickers into the mix. I got a sheet of postal labels and a few sharpies and decided to put down some placasos for my friends. Clockwise from the left are Elena White, Rosi Reyes, Elida Bautista, Katynka Martinez, Robynn Takayama, and Darren de Leon.

I also made a sheet of sticker featuring a pretty heavy anglophile influence. Clockwise from the lefthand corner: Death (from the DC/Vertigo comics), St. Trinian’s (the movie I was watching at the time I made them), the UFW Eagle (y’know with a boner), Morrissey, Bis (from Scotland), and last but not least Doctor Who (my current media obsession).

Hope to see you there!

Rio

Ghetto Frida’s Misison Memories

yanez

I’ve busted my brain, body, and creative skill to create the brand new mural/billboard at Galeria de la Raza in San Francisco. I have plenty of profound things to say about but at the moment I’m just so excited that it is up. Ghetto Frida’s Mission Memories can be seen at Galeria de la Raza. 2857 24th St (at Bryant) San Francisco, CA 94110-4234.

For a gallery of images of the mural, click here.


Peace,

Rio