José M. Loza

José M. Loza (b. 1983, Cuernavaca, Mor., Mex.) is a first-generation Mexican-American artist from Long Beach, CA. Working across drawing, painting, printmaking, and mixed media, he explores the fluid nature of memory, history, and cultural myths. His practice serves as a contact zone where personal and collective narratives intersect, clash, and evolve. Loza often collaborates with artists and activists on community-based projects, using storytelling and historical references to examine the American immigrant experience and the systems that shape it. By reinterpreting inherited narratives, his work challenges dominant frameworks and reveals the layered complexities of cultural identity in a constantly shifting world.

Loza is a graduate of California State University Long Beach with a Masters of Fine Arts in  Illustration and an Art Education Single Subject Teaching Credential. He was Lead Mural Conservation Artist for the City of Long Beach. He is also a recipient of the 2019 Nuestra Imagen Excellence in Arts and Culture Award, 2019 United States House of Representatives Recognition, 2018 Arts Council for Long Beach Professional Artist Fellow, and a 2023-24 California Arts Council Creative Corps Fellow.

Artist Statement

My work explores the shifting nature of memory, history, and cultural myths that we inherit, challenge, and reshape. Using various mediums—including printmaking, acrylic paint, sculpture, digital illustration, and assemblage—I engage in multiple visual languages to examine multiple themes. Through this process, I reinterpret my observations and personal experiences, navigating the complexities of rediscovering cultural heritage while forging a new path in an ever-evolving world.

As a Mexican-American artist growing up in Southern California, my work is deeply influenced by the immigrant experience and the intersection of multiple cultural identities. I consider my practice a contact zone—a space where cultures meet, clash, and negotiate. This approach allows me to challenge dominant narratives while honoring the personal and historical significance of Indigenous and diasporic imagery. Inspired by oral histories and firsthand accounts, I center storytelling as a means of reclaiming agency, allowing for a layered exploration of identity beyond conventional representations.

I utilize found objects, vibrant color, and assemblage to create immersive narratives that examine social and political realities. My material choices, such as transparent mesh from discarded window screens, symbolize the act of navigating multiple spaces simultaneously. These elements serve as metaphors for resilience and adaptation, transforming everyday materials into new sites of meaning.

Grounded in a history of cultural hybridity, my work draws from literature, philosophy, and contemporary discourse, engaging with writers like Octavio Paz, James Baldwin, and Viet Thanh Nguyen to explore themes of memory, invisibility, and systemic structures. My work invites viewers to reconsider inherited narratives and question what an idealized past means within the shifting landscapes of personal and collective memory. Through a blend of humor and melancholy, I seek to create a dialogue about how histories converge, adapt, and persist in new forms.

Collections

Long Beach City College Public Art Collection

L.A. Metro, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority, CA

Long Beach Water Department

City of South Gate

City of Long Beach Mural Collection