Fulgencio Lazo is an internationally recognized Oaxacan American artist whose vibrant abstract paintings and sculptures explore cultural identity, migration, memory, and the power of community. His creative practice celebrates the traditions that sustain his identity as a member of Mexico’s Indigenous Zapotec people, with particular attention to traditional music, communal practices, and the cultural exchange between Oaxaca and Seattle.

Born in Oaxaca, Mexico, Lazo trained as a printmaker from 1985 to 1989 at the School of Fine Arts of the Autonomous University Benito Juárez, under Professor Shinzaburo Takeda. In 1990, he moved to Seattle in his mid-twenties to continue studying printmaking at Cornish College of the Arts. Despite his intentions of returning to his native Oaxaca, he fell in love and initiated his bi-national career, dividing his time between Seattle and Oaxaca. The experience of immigration profoundly shaped both his artwork and his commitment to social issues and community.

Lazo has presented more than 50 solo exhibitions throughout the United States, Mexico, France, and Japan. His work is held in numerous public and private collections. In 2018, he received both the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Award and the Conductive Garboil Grant, recognizing his artistic accomplishments and deep commitment to Seattle’s arts community.

For more than three decades, Lazo has helped promote and expand the Latine artistic and cultural landscape of the Pacific Northwest. The practice of gozana—known in Zapotec as guzón—is a form of mutual aid and reciprocity that infuses Zapotec cultural life and informs Lazo’s work in Seattle. Lazo has helped establish some of the region’s most enduring Latine/x cultural traditions, including Seattle’s annual Oaxacan Guelaguetza, International Children’s Day, and Día de los Muertos celebrations at venues including the Seattle Art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, and Tieton.

Studio Lazo, his art and community space in Seattle’s Central District, serves as a hub for events and organizations within the region’s Latine/x community. He is also the founder of Grupo Cultural Oaxaqueño, which is dedicated to promoting and preserving the music, dance, language, and values of Oaxaca.

In the Studio

These short videos offer a closer look at Fulgencio Lazo’s creative process and the ideas, materials, and experiences that shape his work.