Christopher Velasco

A Lizard in a Woman's Skin

Inkjet print

"Growing up in East Los Angeles, I was obsessed with cinema, and being home, I had the chance to create self-portraits that pay homage to horror films I grew up loving and escaping into. The men and women in these films either played the villain, the heroine, or sometimes both, like Joan Crawford. The characters I transform into conjure the monstrous yet beautiful qualities I believe them to have. Most importantly, as the images can be seen as horrifying, there is always a humorous nod to camp aesthetics."

— Christopher Velasco

About the artist

Christopher Velasco

Christopher Anthony Velasco is a photographer and performance artist who lives and works in Los Angeles. He emphasizes the queer brown body incorporating horror and camp aesthetics. Christopher received his Master of Fine Arts from UC Santa Barbara in 2019. He received his BFA from California Institute of the Arts. As a Getty Marrow Undergraduate Intern, Velasco interned at the Santa Monica Museum of Art (Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles) and UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center and Library. Velasco is an instructor at CSSSA (California State Summer School of the Arts). Velasco’s work has been featured in exhibitions at Art Center College of Design, AD&A Museum, Avenue 50 Studios, California Institute of the Arts, Hibbleton Gallery, the Getty Museum, and the Vincent Price Art Museum. In addition, he has also performed with Harry Gamoba, Jr., with Virtual Verite, Los Angeles Union Station, UC Santa Barbara, and LAST Projects.