LORENZO HURTADO


ARTIST BIO & STATEMENT

Born in the border town of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1979, Lorenzo 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. As a child, Lorenzo started creating decorative objects, eventually joining his grandmother’s crafting group as the only male member, and began selling his work at local markets as a teenager.

His weavings reflect his heritage, but also serve as expanded commentary on indigenous traditions. The diligence and rigorous devotion of the artist becomes the reflective route to approach notions of vastness. In his Papel Tejido (Woven Paper) body of work, Lorenzo takes simple, flat materials—paper and paint—and 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 prepresence in different communities worldwide as an expression of universality.

Lorenzo received a scholarship to study engineering but declined instead to pursue an education in art at UCLA, from which he earned his BA in 2003 with a focus on printmaking. He received his MFA from Otis in 2007 and has been a professor of Illustration in the Department of Communication Art at the college for 14 years.

This collection features woven paper constructions inspired by the grid motif, drawing visual influence from diverse cultural traditions, including basket weaving, Scottish tartan patterns, and abstract painting. Lorenzo employs the most fundamental weaving techniques, recognizing their universal presence across various communities. He refined his approach while in graduate school, noting, “Weaving is an ancient art in Mexico. It serves both functional purposes, like sleeping mats, and artistic expression. Its form is universal, appearing across cultures.” These works captivate me with their apparent simplicity—seemingly accessible to anyone—yet they reveal intricate complexity. Designed to be double-sided, they present imagery and meaning on both surfaces.