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Justin Favela (born 1986, Las Vegas) is an American mixed-media artist who is known for making large-scale installations and sculptures in the piñata style or medium. His work references pop culture, art history, society, cultural commentary, and his own Guatemala-Mexican-American heritage that is rooted in growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. His works often celebrate his identity as a queer person of color raised in the Southwest United States while challenging the ideas of Latinidad and cultural appropriation.[1]
Justin was born in Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where he received his BFA in Fine Arts with an emphasis on sculpture.[2]
Favela's work has been featured in museums and galleries across the United States and the United Kingdom. Justin is the recipient of the 2018 Alan Turing LGTBIQ Award in the category of International Artist.[3] His podcast, Latinos Who Lunch, won the Best of Vegas 2018 award for Best Local Podcast[4] and was ranked number 3 on Remezcla's list of Latinx Podcasts.[5] The podcast is co-hosted with art historian and curator Dr. Emmanuel Ortega; the duo talk about pop culture, politics, and various topics around their intersecting identities of being queer Latinx men working in art and academia.[6] Favela has had lectures at a number of universities to discuss what influences his art.[7][8] He also hosts the Art People Podcast where he has conversations with artists in a variety of mediums and practices.
In 2021, Favela was awarded the Joan Mitchell Fellowship from the Joan Mitchell Foundation.[9]
