Tino Rodriguez

"My work is my search for a spiritual philosophy that transcends simple duality. Western religions often set up simplistic dualities: Good and evil, heaven and hell, spirit and body, etc. I am fascinated by the complexity of human sexuality, transformation, longing and transgression. I represent our human exuberance and decadence. I show the reverse alchemical process of putrefaction and rebirth, the total abandonment of rationality. I want to continue creating a syncretic universe in which all is integrated, whether it be good or evil."

Born and raised in Guadalajara, Rodriguez’s first encounters with art were in the Catholic churches of Mexico. In 1990, he attended the Sorbonne in Paris and then moved to California, where he continued his study of art. He earned a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1994 and a MFA from the University of Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1997. His work has been shown in numerous group and solo shows in galleries and art institutions in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, including the 1999 exhibition Bay Area Now 2 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.

Photo Credit: Virgo Paraiso.

Tino Rodriguez is one of 50 contemporary artists featured in Metamorphosis 2 (beinArt Publishing).