Raul Baltazar (born 1972 in Los Angeles) is an artist who works as a “medium” between Mesoamerican and Western culture, at once part of both worlds, able to act as mimetic mirror for both. Through trans-disciplinary practice including performance, video, photography, painting, murals and community-based projects, Baltazar considers the revolutionary challenge of Mesoamerican Indigenous communities in the context of Los Angeles. His work pursues a cathartic response to the trauma the body endures when experiencing and rationalizing abuse of power and authority by means of sanctioned and unsanctioned reiterations of violence. By participating in the creation of contemporary culture rooted in ancient culture, his work opens a space for healing, communication and reflection. Ritual interventions, mimicry, and storytelling are methodologies the artist employs engage the public in order to communicate on a self-reflexive level.

Baltazar received his MFA in Public Practice from Otis College of Art and Design in 2013, and his BFA in Sculpture and New Genres from Otis College of Art and Design in 2009. He has participated in numerous public art projects, spanning interventions, community-building endeavours, and murals. He has exhibited extensively in Los Angeles and Mexico, and is a 2015 recipient of the California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Arts.

Raul will present a video installation for this year's exhibit.