3 Constellations

Artist: Teran, Sergio b.1974

Date: 2023

Medium: Ink on paper

Artwork Dimensions: 36 x 58 in.

County Department: Public Defender

Artwork Site: Hall of Records - Office of the Public Defender

Supervisorial District: 1

Current Status: On view

About the Artwork: Sergio Teran (b.1974, Los Angeles) graduated with a BFA from Art Center College of Design and an MA in Studio Art from New York University. He lives and works in Los Angeles where he is also an Associate Professor of Art at Cerritos College. Teran's studio process filters divergent memories, real and imagined places and current events with cultural symbology from everyday life and reassembles them into richly painted narrative tableaus. For the past 20 years, his paintings have investigated the particularities of a specific cultural identity, originating from intensely personal reflections that are elaborated through a struggle with process and material to elevate representations of a Mexican American experience. Sergio's work has been exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Southwest Museum of Art, and the Vincent Price Museum, who holds a piece in their permanent collection. Angels Gate Cultural Center, Avenue 50 Studio, and Nielsen Gallery (Boston), The University of Connecticut, and Taste like Chicken Art Space, in Brooklyn, NY.

About the Artist: Sergio Teran's artwork is a polyptych consisting of one large painting and three monoprints. The painting showcases a boat being constructed on a rooftop against the backdrop of a composite landscape of Los Angeles County. There is a stretch of sky without water above the horizon, which creates an absurd and challenging situation, however, the accompanying monoprints depict the same boat traversing through waters, which seamlessly transition to sky. The boat is a vessel that enables humans to travel the world, symbolizing freedom, but one that requires the investment of time, knowledge, and labor to become a reality. The title <em>The Crow's Nest </em>alludes to the high vantage point one must assume when seeking guidance in exploring the unknown. This effort necessitates hope and trust. Within these images, Teran presents a metaphor for justice as a collaborative learning, labor, and rehabilitation process that ultimately empowers individuals to transcend their present circumstances.