Mexican artist's 'nature' on display in Pilsen

Mexican artist's 'nature' on display in Pilsen – on walls and within them

Thanks for subscribing to the Murals and Mosaics newsletter from the Chicago Sun-Times! Each week, we showcase some of the Chicago area's most interesting pieces of public art – as well as the stories behind them. Today's edition was compiled by Sun-Times reporter Robert Herguth. Follow him on Twitter here and on Instagram here. Reach out to murals@suntimes.com with tips and comments.

It must've been six or seven years back that Mexican artist Rodrigo Oñate showed up one day at a Pilsen gallery to try to convince them to showcase his artwork.

"He came into the gallery and had his portfolio," says Teresa Magaña, executive director of the gallery, now at a different locale and under a different name: the Pilsen Arts and Community House.

"We said, 'Show us your work,'" Magaña says. "At that time, it was drawings."

"We were blown away."

The gallery ended up hosting an art show for him. "It was the first show for us and the first exhibition for the space," Magaña says.

But it wasn't the last. The gallery and Oñate forged a relationship that's persisted, with the space hosting an exhibition for him again in 2020 — during which time he also painted a mural at 21st and Ashland Avenue that's the focus of this week's Chicago Sun-Times "Murals & Mosaics" feature.

Mural by Rodrigo Oñate. | (Provided)

Part of what caught our eye in the painting was, well, the eye.

There's what looks to be an eyeball encased in a cloud and pulsing outward a sharp beam of blue-green light.

Along with a mash-up of birds and feathers.

Mexican artist Rodrigo Oñate at work in Pilsen. | (Provided)

Oñate, who goes by Rocodrilo for his artwork, says, "The mural talks about paying attention to nature."

"And keeping an eye on species, taking care of our natural surroundings."

Teresa Magaña of the Pilsen Arts and Community House. | (Provided)

Magaña has a different "take on it: keeping us together," she says.

Not just in the sense of the neighborhood pushing back against the forces of gentrification in Pilsen, which is heavily Mexican American and working class, but "keeping us cohesive."

"Those animals and creatures fuse together at some point," Magaña says. "There's a harmony."

Another angle of the Pilsen mural. (Robert Herguth/Sun-Times)

Oñate, 36, says he was born in Mexico "but I've lived a great part of my life in the U.S. in different cities like Minneapolis, Chicago and San Antonio."

"My grandparent on my dad's side was born and raised in Pilsen by his immigrant parents from Spain. That's the main reason I keep a tight relationship with the city of Chicago, a great part of my family lives there and loves to be part of the beautiful Chicago art scene."

"Beautiful" is what Magaña called his portfolio when he first walked through their door years ago.

She noted that Oñate had been rebuffed earlier by North Side galleries and she's proud "we work with emerging talents and give them a chance."

Posters for Rodrigo Oñate's initial gallery show in Pilsen. | (Provided)

Oñate isn't a prolific local muralist, but he does have other public paintings around.

One of them we mentioned briefly in a recent story.

Right along Cermak Road, it's on a wall now shared by two other murals, including the historic "Education for the People."

Another mural was done on the side of a coffee shop at Superior Street and Western Avenue.

Mural outside Dark Matter Coffee. | (Provided)

KANYE'S BACK

Well, at least he's back home in the form of a new mural, done earlier this week in the West Loop (basically, Fulton Market and Racine Avenue) by 47-year-old Hyde Park artist Chris Devins.

Kanye West, done recently by Chris Devins. | (Provided)

Devins says he decided on doing the mural, which is 14 feet tall, after having dinner in the Fulton Market District with a friend where they talked about rapper Kanye West. Afterward, Devins walked by "this big blank wall" and thought it'd be a good spot to showcase West's image.

Also motivating Devins was just thinking about West's "impact on music, fashion and art, it's undeniable."

"His incredible influence on all three of those cultures … it just dawned on me that this might be one of the greatest artists."

And Devins has a thing for Chicago-area rappers. We've written before about his homage to the late homegrown singer Juice WRLD, whose image Devins plastered on the side of a South Side building a couple of years back after his untimely death.

Chris Devins' mural of Juice WRLD, at 737 W. 59th St. | (Robert Herguth/Sun-Times)

Devins' method is "a mix of digital painting and hand painting."

We featured him and his techniques in 2019 here, in case you want to read more.

And if you're wondering about the colorful, bruised-up bears painted to the side of Devins' new Kanye mural shown above, that's a mural by JC Rivera, who we've also written about previously.

ALMOST THERE

Before we wrap up this newsletter, we must acknowledge that summer is also wrapping up.

So if you're looking to squeeze in an outdoor activity before the snow inevitably arrives, know that the West Loop Art Fest is being held this weekend. Here's a link to learn more.

There's also something called "Art Quest" later this month, sponsored by the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce. For more info, click here.

And the Printers Row Lit Fest is coming up as well. Information is available here.

FINALLY ...

Thanks for reading the Murals & Mosaics newsletter! Check out other newsletters from the Sun-Times ranging from general morning news to high school sports here.

Got a mural or other piece of public art you'd like us to look into? Send an email to murals@suntimes.com and we'll check it out.

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Have a great day, and a great weekend.

Robert Herguth, Sun-Times