POCHO’s favorite photographer — Art Meza AKA Chicano Soul — tells KCRW’s Lisa Napoli about his first book, Lowriting. Lowrider culture, the Echo Park native says, reflects pride in your heritage and pride in your community.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti likes his Art Meza photo of the iconic Sixth Street Bridge:
Every once in awhile, a book comes out that inspires us to take a trip down memory lane. Such a book asks us to reflect on what was and will never be again. If we only knew then what we know now, things would be different we are fond of saying often as we look back at those past moments we now cherish forever in our hearts. These types of books bring tears of joy and even sadness as we remember both the endless hours of laughter and the heartbreaks that at one time encapsulated who were in our lives.
Even so, rare is the book that also reminds us that we do not need to look back in melancholia, but we should use the past to redefine our present and build for the future. At the same time, these occasional books help to break down accepted mainstream narratives or paradigms while urging us to reclaim both our historical space, and our cultural motifs in order to recover our collective memories of who we are as a people.
Mas…Lowriting: Shots, Rides & Stories from the Chicano Soul [book review]
Art Meza sent us three photos from Lowriting, like this shot of a Chicana who knows you can’t go lowrider cruising without the hoop earrings and ink. Click to enlarge. In case you didn’t see it, the Lowriting book review is here.
This lowered Chevy Bel-Air coupe with fender skirts is a sweet ride:
I don’t consider myself a photographer but I do enjoy walking through car shows, up and down the aisles admiring the bombs, lowriders and classics and snapping a few pix while I’m there.
I photograph the rides and sometimes their owners standing beside them. I started off using the camera on my Samsung phone but it’s 3.15 megapixels proved to fall way short when I decided to try to print the images.
Compliments from friends family and Instagram followers convinced me it was time to upgrade to a real camera and take my hobby to the next level.
I began dragging my wife and kids to as many car shows as I could find and then getting home, going through the camera roll to see that day’s catch.