The Artwork
El Barrilito de Fuego, 2024
Mixed media installation
Mudtown Farms
On view August 25 – September 25, 2024
Reception: September 14, 2024 | 12PM - 4PM
Jazmín 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 will host 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.
Jazmín 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.
Jazmín Urrea was commissioned by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture to create a temporary artwork as a member of the Public Artists in Development (PAiD) program’s Artist Council.