Artwork Detail

 Due to right restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

El Barrilito de Fuego

Artist: Urrea, Jazmín

Date: 2024

Medium: Mixed-media installation

Artwork Dimensions: 120" x 96"

County Department: Arts and Culture

Artwork Site: Mudtown Farms

Current Status: Temporary work deinstalled

About the Artwork:

Jazmin Urrea's art practice often explores the lack of access to fresh food faced by communities with limited resources and the health risks posed by artificial dyes and additives such as Red 40 and Yellow 6, commonly found in junk foods. In Urrea's hometown of Watts, she highlights these issues with an installation at MudTown Farms - a cylindrical structure standing 8 feet tall, filled with Flamin' Hot Cheetos. This installation symbolizes the prevalence of processed snacks due to limited grocery options, emphasizing the scarcity of nutritious choices in financially vulnerable areas. Visitors can walk through the structure, which acts as a tunnel leading into MudTown Farms, symbolizing a nutritional oasis in the community.

Urrea hosted a snack workshop for local children on September 14, 2024, in collaboration with a chef. This initiative aims to empower and educate youth about food equity, fostering awareness, and sustainable change within the neighborhood.

About the Artist:

Jazmin Urrea (b. 1990, Artesia, CA) is a visual artist working in installation, photography, video, sculpture, and performance to explore symbols and totems prevalent in Latino communities. She received her MFA in Photography and Media from the CalArts (2017), and a BFA in Photography from CSU, Long Beach (2014). Urrea's works have been exhibited at the Studio Museum in Harlem, The J. Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles, UAM Long Beach, The Music Center, Flatline, and SADE-LA. She participated in CURRENT LA: FOOD Triennial (2019) funded by the Department of Cultural Affairs and recently received the Rema Hort Maan Foundation Emerging Artist Grant (2020). She currently lives and works in South Los Angeles, CA.