Jose Campos, known as Studio Lenca, is an artist whose true home exists within the vibrant worlds he creates.

The name "Studio Lenca" combines two essential elements: "Studio," representing a space for experimentation and creative exploration, and "Lenca," which connects him to the Mesoamerican indigenous people of eastern El Salvador.

Jose was forcibly displaced during El Salvador’s brutal civil war, becoming one of the first waves of child migrants to the USA. Journeying overland with his mother, they navigated life as undocumented immigrants, often without a permanent home, and worked as house cleaners.

Through his art, Studio Lenca challenges and redefines Salvadoran identity. His works feature regal figures that proudly embody traits he felt he could not embrace as a young boy: courage, visibility, and self-assuredness. The subjects gaze out from the canvas, dressed in vibrant clothing and hats, asserting their presence in a world that often seeks to diminish it.

His art blends personal anecdotes, reflections, and folkloric iconography, recalibrating visual narratives to reclaim a fragmented history. Studio Lenca creates from a place of belonging and joy, resisting the narratives imposed by a history of forced assimilation and secrecy linked to the US immigration system.

By establishing his own creative rules, he reconfigures the narrative of displacement, inviting deeper exploration and a sense of redemption. Studio Lenca fosters a world where individuals can reclaim their stories and assert their identities with pride.

Studio Lenca

Salvadoran

Main

Artist

Printer

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Libertad (Hand Finished)