Israel Campos Explores Identity and History Through Art

Israel Campos encourages students to use art as a vehicle for understanding culture, community, and social change. Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles to parents from rural Mexico, Campos draws on his experience as a second-generation Mexican American to explore questions of identity, history, and belonging through his work.

"Ancient Mexican stories reverberate in the modern culture. They are a living link to the past and they offer a worldview that is different from contemporary American culture. I am fortunate to have grown up learning about my Mexican heritage, and I incorporate it in my art to keep it alive," says Campos.

Through printmaking, painting, digital media, and artist books, he often combines pre-Columbian iconography with references to colonial histories, creating layered works that connect the past to the present.

"My goal is to make viewers curious about their own backgrounds and to get them to connect with their own history," says Campos. "To change the present, we need to connect with our past."

Campos holds degrees in art and mathematics and approaches his work with a distinctive balance of analytical thinking and creative expression. At LMU, the assistant professor of printmaking serves as a bridge between the classroom and the contemporary art world, expanding the College of Communication and Fine Arts ' printmaking curriculum while encouraging students to build meaningful creative networks beyond campus.

To prepare students for today's evolving arts landscape, Campos has introduced advanced printmaking processes, including rosin aquatint, photo-etching, soap ground, spit bite, and sugar lift. He is also collaborating with adjunct professor Matthew Johnson to reintroduce stone lithography to the curriculum, giving students access to techniques that connect traditional craft with contemporary practice.

"I also teach installation art and performance art in my classes so students can approach printmaking in non-traditional ways," says Campos. "Contemporary artists work with multiple mediums, and galleries seek out artists that have a diverse body of work. My goal is for students to develop their portfolios to align with the art that is shown in L.A. galleries."

Campos sees the Los Angeles art scene as a network of overlapping communities, each contributing to the city's rich creative landscape. Although diverse in focus and approach, these communities are united by a strong spirit of mutual support. By sharing his professional connections and resources with students, Campos helps them gain exposure to the local art world and begin building their own networks. "An artist needs to show their art to grow and develop their practice," he says.

Through his work with Charlie James Gallery, Chayote Press, and exhibitions throughout the region and beyond, Campos remains deeply engaged with the contemporary art world. By bringing those experiences back to the classroom, he helps students understand not only how art is made, but how artists build meaningful careers and communities around their practice.