How These Latinae Artists Are Celebrating Their Culture

Through creativity, artists have the power to transform spaces, reinvent the familiar, uplift the mundane, and take viewers to worlds beyond their reality. In celebration of artistic innovators and in honor of Latine Heritage Month, All Star Press, BEYOND THE STREETS, and Walmart partnered in their first Cultura Art Fair to spotlight Latine street artists defining the Chicago art scene. The lively event took place at Chicago’s District Brew Yard and featured immersive live mural painting, music by DJ Drip, and vegan bites from Fons Empanadas, Garrets Popcorn snacks, and Banato Ice Cream.

Local artists, however, were the main event, each creating unique merch celebrating their cultural heritage. From skateboard decks to figurines to tee shirts, artists like NEZ, Sentrock, Ramiro Huizar, Ello, FEDZ, Diske Uno, and Tubz, displayed their work and gathered as a community in the name of self expression.

Tubz, who was one of the live mural artists, is a Calligraffiti artist from the Southside of Chicago. His work has pioneered the hybrid of calligraphy and graffiti, something he says he learned from his mother who introduced him to calligraphy as a child. His unique art can be seen anywhere from the streets of LA to gallery walls — and some of his work can be purchased here.

Another live muralist, artist and illustrator DiskeUno, was raised in Culiacán, Sinaloa but has left his mark on Chicago. He recently teamed up with Ricardo Angeles on a mural in partnership with the Brown Wall Project in Little Village. Much of DiskeUno’s inspiration comes from the indigenous cultures of Mexico and focuses on honoring the rituals and ceremonies of his Mexican roots. His work, along with the work of all of the featured artists, is available for purchase via the All Star Press website.

For the last 10 years, All Star Press has been curating art shows and bringing together local Chicago street artists and illustrators.Thanks to Walmart however, its collaboration with BEYOND THE STREETS, which is best known for large-scale, immersive, multimedia experiences, was the first of its kind. As a part of the partnership with BTS, each artist was given the resources to print, package, and sell their art in the form of apparel, prints, collectables, and accessories.

BTS has worked with hundreds of emerging artists all over the world to create activations that allow them to not only showcase their art to new audiences, but to also market their work globally. Much like some of their past shows in Los Angeles, New York, London, and Shanghai, the Cultura Arts Fair gave Chicago’s Latine artists a platform to connect with their community and share their heritage with the world.