KCET ARTBOUND: El Nopal Press: 30 Years of Expanding Borders with Female Artists
December 9, 2019
by Yvette Montoya
For the last 30 years, El Nopal Press has intentionally been a studio where artists can experiment with printmaking. Men and women alike have been drawn to El Nopal for a chance to work with Francesco Siqueiros, a man whose reputation as collaborative, experimental printmaker precedes him. Interestingly though, some of the most provocative artistic pieces and innovations have come from the studio’s collaborations with women. The studio's experimental philosophy has fostered a sense of freedom that has become a place where women, in particular, feel that they can realize their artistic visions.
"It is a unique experience working with him because Francesco, an artist himself, shares his artistic sensibility combined with his expertise as a printmaker to his approach in working with other artists. His approach and interactions with the artists cultivate a mutual respect and an atmosphere of creativity that is conducive to exchange, experimentation and innovation — encouraging the artists to produce their best work," says artist Yreina D. Cervántez known for her politically-charged works.
El Nopal Press opened its doors in Los Angeles, California in 1990. As an American-born artist who spent his younger years in Baja, Mexico, Siqueiros wanted to internationalize the Chicano aesthetic by investigating borders, but not just the physical ones. His work and the work that comes out of his studio deal with metaphorical and psychological borders, but perhaps most of all, El Nopal is known for pushing technical borders in monotype, lithograph and relief printing.