Fernando Penaloza

Fernando Penaloza was born in La Paz, Bolivia and moved to New York City in his early teens. In his twenties he traveled to the South West where he engaged in numerous cultural activities. He co-founded the radio show ‘Raìces’ for the University of New Mexico, introducing Latin American music, literature, and poetry, combined with the new artistic and literary “Chicano” expression. The radio show is still live and the recordings were recently remastered and are now in the Library of Congress. He worked as artist and editor for the magazine ‘De Colores’, a journal of emerging Raza philosophies. Fernando and his brothers formed the musical group ‘Chaski’, bringing Andean music to the area. The group traveled throughout the South West befriending numerous Native American pueblos and in occasion played next to Joan Baez and the group War. 

Fernando was invited by the mayor of Lubbock and the Mexican American community to erect a wall and paint a mural of the history of the conquest. He also participated in the event for the Year of the Child painting another mural in Albuquerque, NM. In addition, he painted murals in Tolleson, AZ. Fernando was instrumental in the production of the cultural event ‘Sol y Sangre’ where a host of artists and Chicano writers gathered together in Albuquerque in celebration of the arts. Additionally, he was invited to many cultural festivals such as ‘Flor y Canto’ to recite poetry and give art workshops. He organized art shows, which included artists from Santa Fe and others from Latin America, especially one seminal called ‘Arte de las Americas’.  Fernando then traveled back to La Paz and put a one-man art show sponsored by the French Alliance, thus opening venues amongst the cultures of the South West and Latin America. 

Back in New York, Fernando participated in a group exhibition at Ward-Nasse Gallery depicting new emerging abstract movements in New York City.  He also participated in The Bronx Latin American Biennale, which addressed contemporary issues within the context of politics, environmental issues in relation to global integration and the new vision of Latin American Art. He was part of a Collective exhibition at Casa Puebla Organization in conjunction with members of the New York City Hispanic Heritage, Columbus parade.  Fernando conducted an art workshop at the Rockland Center for the Arts entitled The Primitive Vision. A workshop encompassing a comprehensive, visual, and oral presentation dealing with the principal aspects of primitivism and its reemergence in contemporary art.

Fernando Penaloza lives in Houston, TX where he continues to produce art.

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