Cody Molina
Cody Molina (b. 1988, Echo Park, Los Angeles, California) grew up in the local Glassell Park area and currently lives and works in Los Angeles. He has attended multiple institutions, including SFSU, SFAI, SFUAD, and CalArts. In 2017, Molina founded Dragon, a fine art gallery located in Cypress Park, which launched with his debut solo exhibition “Piles”. Molina has exhibited in a variety of group shows throughout the Los Angeles area, including “Multiple Multiple Multiple: A Print Show” at OOF Books and “the truth probably lies somewhere exactly in between” at Dragon Gallery.
Molina’s aesthetic is indicative of upheaval, both personal and societal. Much of his work acts as a sort of unhinged rebellion, embracing the unconscious, animalistic soul. At a young age, Molina was exposed to traditional Mexican oilcloth patterns. These vibrant, ubiquitous designs left a remarkable impression, one that can still be observed as the artist continues to find solace in grease pencils that glide over vellum-like yupo paper. Working seamlessly between traditional media and digital processes, his work has been described as raw and brash, at times teetering between cartoonish and abstract. “The Kindly Ones”, a vivid horizontal composition in colored and grease pencil, epitomizes his style as its intense hues and fluid strokes coalesce to form vaguely reminiscent, animated figures that seem to vibrate across the surface.
