My Secret Skate Spots (An Exhibition by Abel Aguirre)

Abel Aguirre was born in San Diego, California in 1977. He was a skateboarder and a self-taught artist that spent most of his time skateboarding San Diego’s beaches and streets. Skating’s creative and stylized culture had a significant effect on his artwork, as did famous artists such as Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. At age 21, Abel enlisted in the United States Navy and served for 20 years before retiring in San Antonio, Texas with his family in 2019. Since retiring from the Navy, Abel has devoted his time to his art career and is currently a Visual Arts student at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. He is an active member of San Antonio’s local art scene and is performing his first solo art exhibition at the Not For You Gallery during the month of October, 2022. The exhibition, titled “My Secret Skate Spots”, is an expression of Abel’s artistic influences. His paint splatter is a nod to Jackson Pollock, the characters are reminiscent of Keith Haring, and the spontaneity of his canvases evokes Jean-Michel Basquiat. The subject is based on the creativity and freedom that comes from skateboarding.

(Artist IG: @artzoo_ )