Queer & Colorful
Bay-area artist-activist ESHcetra is on a mission to open doors for those often overlooked
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Name: Salvador Hernandez
Age: 45
Location: California
Day job: Asylum Case Manager and Paralegal; Gallery Coordinator; Curator
Degrees/education:
BFA in Printmaking and
BA in Art Education from California State University — Long Beach
Art medium/media: Digital Illustration, Printmaking (monoserigraph, monotype, screenprinting), Crochet, Sewing
Primary subjects: Nude male figures, cats, cutesy horror and/or food creatures
Bluesky: @eshcetera.bsky.social
Oakland-based artist and activist ESHcetra – photographed by David Yeung in 2024.
Since art school, ESHcetera (Salvador Hernandez) has had a hunger to explore all facets of the art world and do what they can to carve out spaces for marginalized communities. For years, they would take every chance they could to hone their skills in gallery culture, including curation, exhibition design and installation, and artist engagement. All the while, creating spaces to explore sexual orientations, gender identities, race and ethnicity, and body/beauty standards.
“Growing up big-bodied/chubby/stocky/etc., I found it almost non-existent to see me or others like me as objects of desire or beauty.”
Then they found geikomi/gay manga art from Japan and the works of the greats: Gengoroh Tagame and Jiraiya.
“When Fantagraphics Books published the book MASSIVE, I wanted to continue the celebration of the allure and beauty of bigger men of color inspired by gay Japanese manga,” they say. “So I put out a call to artists and began curating KUMALICIOUS in 2017 as part of the Queer Cultural Center’s 19th annual National Queer Arts Festival in San Francisco.
Eight years later, KUMALICIOUS has continued to showcase art by nearly 30 artists from across the globe, including Justin Hall, Christophe Jannin, Nickie Charles, bkzerotwo, BEARPAD, D.ChooiDoodles, and Christian Cimoroni.
And that’s just the tip of what ESHcetera has set out to do in the world.
What is your earliest art memory?
My first art experience as a kid was when my mom and grandma would help me and my siblings design, cut, and sew clothing patterns for our She-Ra dolls in the 1980s.
What was your art journey like?
My art journey progressed to where it is today out of a need for creative exploration when I got clean and sober in 2003. It was suggested that I find a new outlet to explore within my first year of sobriety, and art had always served as a vessel for discoveries. I had always been interested in artistic outlets such as photography and creative writing, and when I entered the rooms of recovery, the best way for me to express myself was through visual art. I explored site-specific sculptures, ceramics, and printmaking as a way to work through trauma including my battle with alcohol, marijuana, and crystal meth addiction. I had some incredible artist educators who helped shape my artistic and professional views first at Santa Monica College and then at CSU - Long Beach, where I joined the Art Education and Printmaking programs, ultimately graduating from both programs in 2011.
How has being part of the LGBTQ+ community influenced your art?
Being a part of the LGBTQ+ community has influenced my art and artistic journey because I am BIPOC, polyamorous, Queer and Trans/genderqueer, which informs my voice and the importance of documenting that I am a part of the fabric of human existence. I was AMAB (assigned male at birth) and have used interchangeable pronouns (she/they/he) for over 20+ years. We need to claim our space, make our voices heard, and demand that we be seen, especially now that we are actively trying to be erased by so much of the world. LGBTQ+ people have been a part of society for eons, and we cannot remain silent in the face of adversity.
Is there anything you would change about your journey?
There is not a thing I wish I could change about my artist journey. Every moment that led me to where I am today as an artist has made me who I am today, and I would not want to change that for the world.
Where do you draw inspiration?
I usually draw inspiration for my work from Queer representations of beauty, intimacy, sex, and various fetishes and kinks. Growing up a bigger-bodied person, I learned from society that I was not classically desired, and when I came into discovering my sexuality, it was very difficult to embrace myself. I learned that beauty, intimacy, and sex expanded to a myriad of possibilities beyond what was advertised to me. I thank my Queer elders for exposing me to these possibilities, especially early iterations of the Bear/Chub communities, Riot Grrrl bands such as Bratmobile and Bikini Kill, and artist collectives such as Gran Fury and fashion brand/manga publishers MASSIVE GOODS. As far as artists, styles, or movements that have had an impact on shaping who I am as an artist, the aforementioned are included, as well as Roy Lichtenstein, Barbara Kruger, Keith Haring, Nancy Spero, Leon Golub, Judy Chicago, and Félix González-Torres.
What are your ultimate artistic aspirations?
If a genie appeared and said they would grant me one of my artistic dreams, I would ask for a printmaking studio that mirrors the amenities I had access to at CSU - Long Beach with a months-long intensive seminar led by past and present queer elders and artists who have helped shape me as the artist I am today.
Star-shaped MANdala of reclining nude men in pastel oranges, blues, pinks and yellows on bright green, penises visible - art by ESHcetra.
What is your favorite work you’ve created?
My favorite works that I have created so far include a number of the digital MANdala illustrations that are coupled with rope bondage (shibari) because it is an amalgamation of two things that I love to work on and practice with: nude male figures and rope work. My work on the MANdala series began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was searching for ways to keep myself from going stir crazy and delved into other forms of meditation. My go-to form of meditation had always been lap swimming, but social distancing and shelter-in-place eliminated that possibility. Before the pandemic, I had been managing monthly figure draw sessions with my group QueerMaleFigureDraw, but that also came to a halt, and I had to figure out a way to continue with both a segment of my art practice and a means to balance the uncertainty of the world around me. I sought to combine facets of meditation in the repetitive patterns of mandalas coupled with Queer male figure drawings utilizing assisted drawing programs on my iPad’s Procreate app. It started as tinkering and, soon enough, I found myself zoning out for hours working on new configurations and color patterns as the days passed by. I never thought to share the drawings until a very good friend of mine encouraged me to share it with the world. In February of 2024, I set a challenge for myself to post a new MANdala artwork on my Bluesky account for 365 days. By the time February 2025 rolled around, I found that I had amassed quite a following of folks who continued to encourage me to post, not only the MANdala series, but also my crochet creations, printmaking, gardening adventures, and so much more. To this day, I continue to post on my Bluesky daily. It’s been quite an adventure!
What advice would you offer to others?
To any budding artists, I would suggest that you set aside time to practice your craft each day, whether it’s for 5 minutes or an hour. It is very important to create a rhythm or pattern of cultivating your wants and desires to explore your creativity. I would suggest starting small and building up your tastes by going to museums, keeping an idea notebook, or taking pictures of things that inspire you.
Looking for more queer male nude art?
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