GHETTO FUNERAL/ULTIMATE ANIME DEATH 2007 Zachary Ochoa | Buy Art Online

In his most recent paintings, Zachary Ochoa conflates his lived experiences as an Afro-Latinx Queer person with the escapades of cartoon characters such as Popeye, Donald Duck, and Tweety Bird. Ochoa’s use of American cartoons symbolizes the disappearing American Dream alongside the rise of teen suicide and depression. As stand-ins for the artist both psychologically and physically, these characters also wear Ochoa’s scars and tattoos, embodying darkness and violence as well as fun and play. Ultimately, creating these artworks helps the artist find a certain inner peace and power.

Unframed

About the artist:

Zachary Ochoa’s art features invented protagonists bearing symbols taken from tarot cards, graffiti, and tattoo art. Ochoa’s latest series is based on iconic cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Pluto, Goofy, and Pinocchio. Combining thickly painted brushstrokes, solid background colors, and precisely articulated airbrushed figures, the contrast in this series suggests a buried history from which these new characters have emerged. According to Ochoa, they represent the evolution of an ongoing narrative moving away from anger and violence and toward love and self-acceptance.

Zachary Ochoa was born in 1998 in Aurora, IL, and lives in Milwaukee, WI. They earned his BFA from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (2020).

Ochoa mounted a solo exhibition with Steve Turner in Los Angeles, CA (2023).