Artist
Mocka
José Olvera “MOCKA”, (May 8, 1990 in Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico).
A graphic designer and self-taught painter, passionate about textures, colors and animals. He creates a language between texture and color, which makes each piece a unique and unrepeatable work. José Olvera was born in the city of Oaxaca; from an early age he was surrounded by nature and frequent trips along the coastal region of Oaxaca. It is there that his curiosity and love for the local fauna were born. His first encounters with painting and drawing came during middle school, where he discovered graffiti. Street art helped him get to know mixed techniques on different supports; textures and mixtures of materials created in him a need to apply them on canvas and to shed the ephemeral nature of graffiti.
Mixed technique is predominant in Mocka’s work; he continues to draw on what he learned in street art to create backgrounds and textures. In his search for an identity, he found Burbugrafía. Being able to freeze the texture of bubbles gave his work a new turn, and he fuses what he learned in stencil work and Burbugrafía to generate a unique visual language. In each work we can delve into every texture and the intense gaze of each character; this is how a dialogue is established between the viewer and the work.
Painting with the burst of bubbles in different watery media on supports such as paper, wood, fabric and clay has been the experimentation that has led MOCKA to find a technique that satisfies the need to create out of effervescence. Burbugrafía, for MOCKA, is to freeze the ephemeral, to contain in each work a part of time. It is not just an image; it is an experience, feelings, time and alchemy speaking of a fantastical world.
Exhibitions / presentations of work.
Group exhibition “DESECHO vol. 1” TYP Gallery, August 25, 2007, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “lucha contra el hambre”, Rivas Gallery, March 26, 2011, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “Des-hechos. Arte utilitario, energías alternativas”, Espacio Zapata Gallery, July 25, 2011, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “Re inauguración del taller Siqueiros” Siqueiros Workshop, December 27, 2012, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “21 cm “Atzomalli Gallery, July 20, 2013, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “Oaxaca prints art show”, Jessica Eldredge studio, Philadelphia, United States.
Group exhibition “Revolución gráfica”, Espacio Zapata Gallery, July 17, 2015, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “157 Paralelo Oaxaca”, De.dealer, September 7, 2018, Mexico City
Group exhibition “Contrastes contemporáneos 2.0 “, Centro Cultural Minero, February 8, 2019, Mexico City.
Group exhibition “Pop up gallery” Caminarte project, February 23, 2019, Mexico City, W hotel
Solo exhibition “Efímero eterno”, November 19, 2021, Cuatro Siete Gallery, Calle Reforma #407, centro Oaxaca de Júarez, Oax.
Group exhibition “Reencuentros 2”, February 11, 2022, Gallery of the Casa Santo Tomás hotel. Abasolo #305 centro, Oaxaca de Júarez, Oax.
View their works
A graphic designer and self-taught painter, passionate about textures, colors and animals. He creates a language between texture and color, which makes each piece a unique and unrepeatable work. José Olvera was born in the city of Oaxaca; from an early age he was surrounded by nature and frequent trips along the coastal region of Oaxaca. It is there that his curiosity and love for the local fauna were born. His first encounters with painting and drawing came during middle school, where he discovered graffiti. Street art helped him get to know mixed techniques on different supports; textures and mixtures of materials created in him a need to apply them on canvas and to shed the ephemeral nature of graffiti.
Mixed technique is predominant in Mocka’s work; he continues to draw on what he learned in street art to create backgrounds and textures. In his search for an identity, he found Burbugrafía. Being able to freeze the texture of bubbles gave his work a new turn, and he fuses what he learned in stencil work and Burbugrafía to generate a unique visual language. In each work we can delve into every texture and the intense gaze of each character; this is how a dialogue is established between the viewer and the work.
Painting with the burst of bubbles in different watery media on supports such as paper, wood, fabric and clay has been the experimentation that has led MOCKA to find a technique that satisfies the need to create out of effervescence. Burbugrafía, for MOCKA, is to freeze the ephemeral, to contain in each work a part of time. It is not just an image; it is an experience, feelings, time and alchemy speaking of a fantastical world.
Exhibitions / presentations of work.
Group exhibition “DESECHO vol. 1” TYP Gallery, August 25, 2007, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “lucha contra el hambre”, Rivas Gallery, March 26, 2011, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “Des-hechos. Arte utilitario, energías alternativas”, Espacio Zapata Gallery, July 25, 2011, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “Re inauguración del taller Siqueiros” Siqueiros Workshop, December 27, 2012, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “21 cm “Atzomalli Gallery, July 20, 2013, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “Oaxaca prints art show”, Jessica Eldredge studio, Philadelphia, United States.
Group exhibition “Revolución gráfica”, Espacio Zapata Gallery, July 17, 2015, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Group exhibition “157 Paralelo Oaxaca”, De.dealer, September 7, 2018, Mexico City
Group exhibition “Contrastes contemporáneos 2.0 “, Centro Cultural Minero, February 8, 2019, Mexico City.
Group exhibition “Pop up gallery” Caminarte project, February 23, 2019, Mexico City, W hotel
Solo exhibition “Efímero eterno”, November 19, 2021, Cuatro Siete Gallery, Calle Reforma #407, centro Oaxaca de Júarez, Oax.
Group exhibition “Reencuentros 2”, February 11, 2022, Gallery of the Casa Santo Tomás hotel. Abasolo #305 centro, Oaxaca de Júarez, Oax.
