Ernesto Yerena & Philip Lumbang, Bear of the Dead, 2010
Laser cut relief on wood panel
61 x 45 x 1 cm
Condition: Very good
Edition 7 of 30
Proof of Purchase available.
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Ernesto Yerena Montejano (American, b. 1987) and Philip Lumbang (American, b. unknown) are a collaborative duo whose practice merges Chicano-inspired political imagery with playful, street-influenced graphic culture.
Yerena is a Mexican-American artist, designer and activist best known for founding the Hecho Con Ganas publishing project in 2008. Raised along the U.S.–Mexico border, his work is deeply informed by Chicano identity, Indigenous heritage and the social realities of border communities. Working across printmaking, graphic design and street-influenced imagery, Yerena creates politically charged works that address themes of migration, labour, cultural identity and resistance.
Lumbang is a Los Angeles-based artist and illustrator whose practice spans illustration, murals, design and fine art. Influenced by street culture, skateboarding, music and graffiti, Lumbang developed a playful visual language characterised by bold colours, cartoon-like imagery and socially conscious undertones. His works often merge humour with commentary, balancing accessible imagery with reflections on contemporary culture and everyday life.
In 2010, Yerena and Lumbang had a collaborative show at Black Book Gallery in Denver, Colorado titled Dead Relatives. CMYK Projects made limited edition prints on paper and laser cut reliefs in wood of the canvases.
Bear of the Dead combines the visual languages of both artists, merging Yerena’s politically charged Chicano iconography with Lumbang’s playful graphic style. The work reinterprets the imagery of Día de los Muertos through a contemporary urban aesthetic, featuring stylised skeletal and animal motifs rendered in bold colours and graphic forms. Balancing humour with symbolism, the collaboration reflects themes of identity, memory and cultural resilience through a visually striking composition.
Acquired from CMYK Projects.
(Photographed in April 2026)