ARTIST STATEMENT:

I am a mixed-race Chicanx artist driven by a foundational urge to draw, working to redefine midwestern identity and place as a hybrid ancient-contemporary-nowness. Being a second generation printmaker and a third generation educator influences my use of graphic forms in the relief print tradition while also instigating a curiosity in print process and ephemera. I am intrigued by everyday rituals, icons, symbols, totemic objects, communication, and translation. Not only are these things records of ourselves, but of culture, beliefs, and our multitudes of being. The political heritage of print media as well as the vibrant soul of the Chicago Imagists fuel me. I employ a satirical cartoon style infused with the flattened aesthetics of mesoamerican and Mexican folk art alongside an admiration for hand-painted signs. My work synergizes elements of image and text in moments of humorous mestizaje. I draw from passing phrases, political movements, and palpable relics of the past, manipulating them towards a liberated future. Whether they result in two or three dimensional pieces, these components contribute to my larger artistic reality.

• READ AN INTERVIEW WITH THE ARTIST 2019 (WEB)

• Interview with Artist on Teaching Illustrators Podcast 2020 (AUDIO)

• INterview with René Arceo (father) on Inside the Edition 2020 (AUDIO)

BIO:

Atlan Arceo-Witzl is a Mexican-American visual artist, creator, and educator based in Chicago, IL. He received his Bachelor's degree in Studio Art from Skidmore College in 2018 with concentrations in printmaking, drawing, and sculpture. Post graduation he has worked with mosaic muralist Carolyn Elaine’s studio crew helping to design and produce large-scale pieces across the Chicagoland area. Arceo-Witzl has also worked as a teaching artist at Spudnik Press Cooperative, Marwen, YouMedia, and in his current position as an Instructional Specialist at Columbia College Chicago. He is an active member of the Chicago Printers Guild as well as Instituto Grafico Chicago, a collective of Latinx printmakers from across the city. In addition, he maintains his own art and freelance graphic design practices collaborating with various organizations including the Pilsen Housing Cooperative, Open Books, the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame, Code Switch Podcast (NPR), Chicago Tool Library, and the Logan Square Chamber of Commerce among others.