Javier Hernandez "Kambo Frog II" 8x10 Painting

Javier Hernandez was born in 1984. Raised in East Oakland, their first encounter with art was the graffiti that covered the walls of his neighborhood. Earlier works reflected the darkness, death, and poverty of the Oakland streets in the 90s. Through art he learned to channel that trauma into what they now calls "La Estrella Muerta art"

Their work reaches toward the darkest corners of the psyche and finds the spaces that have light shining through. Extracting a playful way to deal with that darkness. Through a diverse array of media, Javier has moved away from traditional methods to create an arsenal of nonsense for the senses.
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Based on a personal experience with indigenous medicine known as kambo. This frog represents the purging of trauma and the integration of self love represented by the florescent colors that can be seen under black light. It is the second piece in the series.