Pavel Acevedo

From Oaxaca, Mexico and moving to California in 2010, much of Acevedo’s art incorporates themes and imagery depicting the migratory experience in California. As a relief printmaker, utilizing plywood and linoleum surfaces, he creates portraits of friends, the pre-hispanic codex, and other images that depict the diverse multitudes found in the city. Through the use of portraits and imagery, both new and old, he is able to invent a conversation that is neither Mexican nor American, but rather a contemporary reality that reflects his unique life. 

Acevedo attended the School of Fine Arts Oaxaca (Escuela de Bellas Artes) and participated in different art workshops at the “Rufino Tamayo workshop.” In 2010 he moved to California, where he continues to live and work today. Although his art has led him to many locations across the country, his studio, Urge Palette Art Supplies, is in Riverside, and he tends to create most of his art in East Los Angeles. Many of his pieces can be seen in murals and streets around Riverside, as well as in the Riverside Art Museum.

Pavel Acevedo’s Utopia and Dystopia prints were created as part of the “Utopia/Dystopia” portfolio, curated by artist Miyo Stevens-Gandara. Miyo invited 26 artists to each pick two cards from a full deck, incorporating a diverse range of interpretations and ideas into a single, unified collection. Here, Acevedo juxtaposes a solo woman with two men, depicting the diverse stories that create the Los Angeles narrative.