Rodrigo Oñate: Melding Graffiti, Pop Culture, and Mexican Mythology in Energetic Art

Rodrigo Oñate, known in the art world as Roco, brings an explosive blend of graffiti, comics, and pop culture to life in his vibrant and energetic paintings. The Chicago and Querétaro-based artist seamlessly weaves together a mashup of characters, patterns, and surreal elements, creating works that feel both playful and profound. His bold artistic voice draws from personal stories, Mexican mythology, and a love for movement and texture, resulting in pieces that capture the viewer’s imagination. Roco’s creative process is as spontaneous as the art itself. Describing it as “intuitive, almost like graffiti writing,” he explains how each work starts with a series of lines that serve as a foundation. From there, a vibrant array of characters and shapes begins to emerge, all while adding layers of texture and intricate forms. His signature style, a riot of squiggles, patterns, and comic-inspired figures, brings a sense of movement and fluidity that captures the eye and draws the viewer deeper into his world. The balance between color and texture is at the core of his composition, resulting in a style that is unmistakably his. The figures that populate Roco’s work are a mix of whimsical and deeply personal. Birds, for example, hold...