Lucha Libre Trans Queer Art Espectacular by Gael Luna

Lucha Libre Trans Queer Art Espectacular: uplifting the lives of transgender and queer athletes in New Mexico honors Trans and Queer athletes by portraying their strength and authenticity through visual/multimedia art, culminating in an immersive community celebration. Together, we will interrupt cycles of harmful rhetoric by bringing play, bravado, and Mexican cultural iconography into our Albuquerque communities. This project features portraits of Trans and Queer athletes, along with unique masks and capes that reflect their stories and resiliency in the style of 
luchadores (Mexican wrestlers). 

Galleries are accessible to the public on Thursday - Saturday from 10am-3pm.

Gael Luna (they/them) is a trans-queer immigrant artist and community organizer in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Originally from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, they migrated to the U.S. at age seven. They received a bachelor’s degree in Media Arts from New Mexico Highlands University in 2014. In their senior year, they were awarded the Seabury Fellowship and created their body of work, Joteria Undocumented. They got to 
exhibit across the states of New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, including being featured artists in Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambios Social (MALC) and inaugurations. In 2021, they received the Tipping Point residency with the City of Albuquerque and Tamarind Institute. Most recently, they were awarded the 2024 UETF Artist Resiliency Residency and Residency for Art & Social Justice from Harwood Art Center.

“My identities have profoundly shaped the way I create art. Coming from communities directly impacted by the lack of healthcare access, immigration statutes, and economic disparity, I have found work most meaningful when I build toward the needs of communities. I am a visual artist who utilizes digital art, design, and photography to convey stories of New Mexicans, LGBTQ+ people, and immigrant communities. I capture people’s lives in connection to their sexuality, gender, culture, and the places they make home. I use art to mobilize communities as we create change together. Art is powerful, sparking conversations that shift hearts and minds and inspiring transformation.” - Gael Luna