Alex Alferov
Passage, 2007
Serigraph, Ed. 84
24”x26”

Passage is part of Homombre, a collection of silkscreen prints by ten artists that explore the diverse realities, cultures, and struggles of gay Latino men. "This is my memory piece to those who have passed,” the artist remarks. The merging of electric, brash coloration with harsh, almost violent faces and bodies symbolize the hard-edged, "survival-of-the-fittest" atmosphere of the contemporary urban gay lifestyle. The “passage” refers to the transition from open and free sexual expression to the exercise of caution and acknowledgment of risk in queer sexuality that followed after the AIDS crisis inflicted decades of pain, fear, and loss onto the gay community.

Alferov consolidates regional and international influences from his study and travel throughout the United States, Europe and Asia to create images and installations that investigate the relationship of the human surface with the spiritual interior. In 2005, Alferov was chosen as one of six artists to participate in The Wall / Las Memorias Project, at Lincoln Park. He created two monumental murals funded by the California Arts Council and the L.A. Citywide Mural Project. Alferov’s art is in numerous collections and his prints are part of the Los Angeles Museum Permanent Print Collection and the University of Santa Barbara Archives.