The Open Studios of Taller Tupac Amaru

I took flight out of San Francisco's wind chill summer Saturday afternoon to soak up some lovely Oakland sun at the the annual Open Studios of the revolutionary minded art collective, Taller Tupac Amaru. The collective includes a powerful trinity of artists; Favianna Rodriguez, Jesus Barraza and Melanie Cervantes.

Arriving at the Studio, I was welcomed into Rodriguez' childhood home where funky soul jams pervaded the sonic wavelengths, delicious (oh so damn delicious) tamales and cold beer waited patiently for my hunger in the backyard, and people emanating a general spirit of warmness got down with some electric relaxation.


The many political posters and colorful, bold lined prints are made by the collective with a single screen press located in the backyard's corner shed. Their diverse works were placed throughout the home, some framed on the walls and others settled on tables and the floors sleeved in plastic covers. The vibrant atmosphere within the home illuminated a sense of cultural heritage that informed the works while completely avoiding the sterilizing feel of a museums' white walls and neutralized space.



Taller Tupac Amaru's artwork ranges from passionate depictions of the hardships endured by indigenous peoples, political posters for local events, to more stylized abstract and personal pieces. A call to arms poster by Cervantes displayed iconic images of Chicano activists clad in kafiyahs called for solidarity between Palestinians and indigenous Americans, both peoples stripped from their land, pushing for self-determination.

Many of Rodriguez' prints explored the concept of identity; I particularly found captivating a print of two bold eyed humanoid creatures fusing into a single beast atop a jaggedly lined blue and black background whizzing wildly in triangular motions. The simple and cutting iconic graphics immediately brought to mind my recent viewing of Emory Douglas' work.

Just on that note, Barazza and Cervantes jointly nodded to the history of the Black Panther movement (and its ten point plan) by producing an empowering, brightly colored print of the EZLN's Women's revolutionary laws.

All the artists claim to take influence from a long history of political poster artists, Chicano painters, and graffiti writers, as well as the many worldwide grassroots organizations committed to working for social justice. The members spend much of their time openly sharing their knowledge and techniques with youth throughout the Bay Area in outreach programs like Eastside Arts Alliance.

You can find many of the prints for sale on the artists' websites linked above.

Rodriguez along with co-editor Josh MacPhee will be celebrating the release of their new book, Reproduce & Revolt, displaying a huge collection of international political graphics on Wednesday at Counterpulse on 9th and Mission in SF.