Lorenzo Hurtado was born in the border town of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1979. He received his MFA from Otis College of Art in Design in 2007. His artwork is rooted in craft traditions, culture heritage, art history, and ethnographic motifs.
Lorenzo Hurtado grew up in a culture of craftsmanship. With modest incomes, many of the people in his community learned how to make things to survive, from the garments they wore to the houses they lived in. His mother was a knitter who made all the family’s clothes. His weavings reflect his heritage, but also serve as expanded commentary on indigenous traditions.
In his Papel Tejido Series (Woven Paper Series), Lorenzo takes paper and paint to transforms them into sculptural textiles. He begins with blank sheets of paper, which he paints on both sides with figurative or non-representational imagery. He then painstakingly weaves the double-sided slips of paper by hand, drawing on traditions of basket weaving, Scottish tartan design, and abstract painting. The resulting piece has two faces, urging the viewer to behold it in the round as a sculpture. Lorenzo uses the most elemental form of weaving, recognizing its presence in different communities worldwide as an expression of universality.
Lorenzo's solo exhibitions include Mis Papeles, Vincent Prince Art Museum, Monterey Park, CA, Lorenzo Hurtado Segovia: Wild Frontier, David Allan Hubbard Library, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. He has been included in group exhibitions such as Signal To Noise, curated by Michael Slenske, Diane Rosenstein Gallery, Los Angeles, Quadrant, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA, Specific Abstractions, curated by Matthew Stromberg, Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Paperworks, Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA, and Selections from the Grunwald Center and the Hammer Contemporary Collection, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA. Hurtado Segovia’s work is in the permanent collections of the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA; University of La Verne, La Verne, CA; La Jolla Community Foundation/Murals of La Jolla, La Jolla, CA; and Cerritos College, Norwalk, CA. He is currently a Professor at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles.
