Artist Ashley Guzman painted a portrait of her parents chatting after a long day of work at their family restaurant. See this painting and others Friday at Mainframe Studios. (Photo: Ashley Guzman)
It’s the first Friday of a new month so Mainframe Studios is opening its doors to the public again, this time for a celebration of Latino art and culture hosted by local artists Seso Marentes and Siriaco “Siricasso” Garcia.
Marentes, who was featured in dsm’s 2023 Inclusion issue, plans to make this month’s event more immersive, starting with eight souped-up lowrider cars to welcome visitors outside. “When I grew up, I used to watch lowrider art and read Lowrider Magazine. It was always a spectacle,” he said. “I’m trying to capture that moment again.”
Inside, the open house will feel like a party, with piñatas and live music from Son Peruchos, a Des Moines-based Latin band that will roam the halls.
Marentes plans to open his own studio and take over two others in the building; he needs the extra space to exhibit his large-scale murals and intricate carvings. “I don’t usually go small,” he said. “I really want to emphasize the time it takes to create such big carvings.”
Marentes’ mentor, Miriam Alarcon Avila, will showcase her photo portraits of luchadores, the masked wrestlers rich in cultural symbolism. Local photographer Anthony Arroyo will share work exploring his environments and passion for the medium. Minnesota-based painter Ashley Guzman will exhibit still lifes and collages, and Mainframe tenant Linda Eclatt, owner of Lunita’s Planners, will highlight Latino entrepreneurship.
Finally, Business Record Forty Under 40 honoree Siricasso plans to debut his exhibit “smile now, cry later,” which explores his family’s experiences with addiction and deportation.
“The Latino community has been here a long time,” Marentes said. “Don’t let the language barrier stop you. Let the artwork do the talking.”
