Hector Silva is a self-taught artist who has been producing work for more than twenty-five years. With Los Angeles’ rich Latino and Chicano culture, Hector draws from the Latino tradition, exploring themes of cultural identities, eroticism, and beauty. Silva accredits religious iconography, Frida Kahlo, M.C. Escher, Tom of Finland, and Chicano prison art as his primary influences.
As a community-oriented person, Silva was selected as one of Adelante magazine's twenty individuals who are among the most influential within the Gay and Lesbian Latino community due to his position as a role model, innovative thinker, and leader in social change. In 2009, Stanford University acquired Silva's work for its Latin American, Mexican-American, and Iberian collections. In 1997, Silva was a Tom of Finland Emerging Artist Competition winner, and in 2018 was inducted into Tom of Finland Foundation's Artist Hall of Fame. Silva lives and works in Los Angeles, CA.
