Chris Estrada

Press Release 

What I SeeOn View: June 10 – July 1, 2023

Opening Reception: Saturday June 10, 5-9pm  

Munzón Gallery is pleased to present What I See, a solo exhibition of screen prints by Chris Estrada. What I see is a collection of screenprinted works, created with the intention of exploring the relationship between imagery and song.The process for creating each piece begins with a song becoming totally and completely lodged in the brain. Lyrics and melodyoverwhelm the senses, demanding top priority until the song isstripped down, torn apart, digested totally and completely. This information is regurgitated and reborn. This new life, as a piece of visual art, owes its creation almost entirely to its initial form, yet is able to stand alone. Those in the know will nudge the person next to them, clue them in on the origin the piece derives from, possibly play the song on the car ride home. The cycle begins anew, a new beat in a timeless heart.While this work was made around a cohesive theme, there is also an intention to highlight those isolated and sometimes disparate influences that dogear much of adolescence.; An amalgamation of Saturday morning cartoons, blaring chainsaw guitars, sticky floors, torn flyers and worn grooves. Created as a love letter to the sounds and sights that shaped me, this isWhat I See. Artist BioChris Estrada is a Southern California based printmaker specializing in screenprinted works in a variety of techniques, including zines, flatstock, bootleg band shirts and etched glass works. Drawing influences from the late seventies to early eighties punk record and flyer art, as well as the bold graphics that run rampant throughout American popular consumerist culture, Estrada aims to craft the perfect imagery to pair with the sounds bouncing throughout his brain.Estrada earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in printmaking from California State University, Long Beach in 2019. He has exhibited works with Munzón Gallery, Burning Bones and CU Art Museum. Estrada is a member of the Speedball Professional Artist Network and has appeared on numerous art-related podcasts, including the esteemed Hello, Print Friend.