Walk into Homegirl Cafe at the edge of Chinatown and you’ll see adorning its dining room walls black and white photos of lowriders and Angelenos. These photos were taken by Chicano Soul or as we know him at the Bureau of Contract Administration, Art Meza.
Art did not grow up with a camera in his hand. In fact, when he started in 2012, he used an iPod to take photos. It’s kind of hard to believe since he’s now a published photographer, has almost 40k followers on social media and his photo of the Sixth Street Bridge hangs inside City Hall.
Art draws a lot of inspiration from the lowriding community where “strangers have become friends and some have become like family” and in the City where he grew up. His favorite piece from the exhibit is titled “American as Apple Pie” – a photo of guys just enjoying each other’s company and hanging around a dropped ’48 Chevy. “Lowriding is just as American as hot-rodding, even though it is never treated as such.” Art hopes that his photos help capture people’s stories and shed light and fight the stereotype that lowriders and those who build them are not “thugs, drug dealers and gang members.”
Art’s affection for his subjects is evident in his photos. His images make you nostalgic and want to hold on to that moment.
Find more of Art’s photos in his book, “Lowriting: Shots, Rides and Stories from the Chicano Soul”, available on Amazon.com. Chicano Soul’s photos will be on display at the Homegirl Cafe until May 2017 (130 Bruno St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 ). Follow @chicano_soul on Instagram for updates on his work.