BIOGRAPHY
Born and raised in East Los Angeles, John Zender Estrada experienced a rich and diverse cultural environment drawing from the strong personalities of the Chicano youth around him. At fifteen he lived in Mexico City where
he gained a love and respect for Los tres grandes, the famous Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. While still in High School John won several competitions including an internship to California State University, Los Angeles (Ceramics) and at the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design (fine art and life drawing). Upon graduation from Verdugo Hills High School, John continued his fine
arts studies with the Otis Art Institute majoring in Fine Art and Illustration. While attending Otis, John was influenced by the New York art scene, primarily the abstract-graffiti-pop expressionists. Actively involved in
establishing the Los Angeles style of graffiti art, John was one of the many early pioneers that created the graffiti
movement in the early eighties. John recreated himself as Zender (the rising mountain) and had his first one- man
show at Otis titled "Zender-Neo Expression" in 1987. Deeply committed to making public art Zender has produced over 300 murals in Los Angeles andthroughout the United States. As founder of
Creative Art Solutions he has devoted many hours nurturing young artists and making a difference in many communities. Zender has seperated his public art from his personal paintings, his work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Zero-1 Gallery, Pueblo Gallery, CSDI, ICU Gallery and many others. He has had several one man shows and many group shows, exhibiting with Chicano artists, Graffiti artists. His easel paintings have evolved from series to series. Most of his works from his earlier series now reside in private collections. In 1995 his work arrived at a spiritual turning point and began incorporating more intimate and personal ideas concerning spirituality into his artwork. Influenced by Roberto Matta, Kandinsky, Gorky, Lam, Basquiat and the Bible he began calling his painting theory The Process of Change.
he gained a love and respect for Los tres grandes, the famous Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. While still in High School John won several competitions including an internship to California State University, Los Angeles (Ceramics) and at the Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design (fine art and life drawing). Upon graduation from Verdugo Hills High School, John continued his fine
arts studies with the Otis Art Institute majoring in Fine Art and Illustration. While attending Otis, John was influenced by the New York art scene, primarily the abstract-graffiti-pop expressionists. Actively involved in
establishing the Los Angeles style of graffiti art, John was one of the many early pioneers that created the graffiti
movement in the early eighties. John recreated himself as Zender (the rising mountain) and had his first one- man
show at Otis titled "Zender-Neo Expression" in 1987. Deeply committed to making public art Zender has produced over 300 murals in Los Angeles andthroughout the United States. As founder of
Creative Art Solutions he has devoted many hours nurturing young artists and making a difference in many communities. Zender has seperated his public art from his personal paintings, his work has been exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Zero-1 Gallery, Pueblo Gallery, CSDI, ICU Gallery and many others. He has had several one man shows and many group shows, exhibiting with Chicano artists, Graffiti artists. His easel paintings have evolved from series to series. Most of his works from his earlier series now reside in private collections. In 1995 his work arrived at a spiritual turning point and began incorporating more intimate and personal ideas concerning spirituality into his artwork. Influenced by Roberto Matta, Kandinsky, Gorky, Lam, Basquiat and the Bible he began calling his painting theory The Process of Change.
EXHIBITION HISTORY SOLO EXHIBITION
1988 “Neo-Expressionism” Otis Art Institute Gallery
Los Angeles CA, USA
1994 “Arte de mi Corazon” University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA USA
1995 “Twisted Tenderness” Arroyo Books Gallery
Highland Park, CA USA
1996 “Revelations 1” Luna Sol Café Gallery
Los Angeles, CA. USA
1996 “The Grey Planet” HomelandCulturalCenter
Long Beach, CA.USA
1997 “Derranged Aesthetics” Casa dela Raza
Santa Barbara CA, USA
2002 “A Decade of Paint” Community Self Determination
Institute. Los Angeles, CA
2005 “Public Eye Private Heart” BlueBird Art House
Whittier, CA
2006 “Blue Prints” Works on Paper Bluebird Art House
Whittier, CA
2010 “Urban Chicano” Homegirl Cafe Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1992 “Imagery in Motion” Traveling Exhibition
LACE, SPARC, Self Help.
Los Angeles, CA.USA
1993 “Next Step” Zero-One Gallery
Los Angeles, CA. USA
1994 “Dia de los Muertos” Otra Vez Gallery
Self Help Graphics
Los Angeles CA, USA
1994 “Urban Revisions” Museum of Contemporary Art
Los Angeles, CA USA
1995 “Villa y Zapata” Homeland Cultural Center
Long Beach, CA. USA
1996 “Grito de Nuestras Almas” Al’s Finger Print Gallery
Long Beach, CA. USA
1998 “Alma De La Raza” Alwun House
Phoenix AZ, USA
1999 “Paintings from the other side” La Luz Gallery
Long Beach CA, USA
2001 “Knowledge Acquired Wisdom Applied” Rock Rose Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
2001 “LA City Giants” CSDI GALLERY
Los Angeles, CA
2002 “Urban Art” ICU ART GALLERY
Los Angeles, CA
2004 “The Prophet” Bluebird Art House Gallery
Whittier, CA
2005 “Dia De Los Muertos” Casita Del Pueblo Gallery
Whittier, CA
2005 “2 to the Dome” Crewest Gallery
Alhambra, CA
2006 “City of LA Urban Cityscapes” Bluebird Art House Gallery
Whittier, CA
2006 “Dawn to Dawn ” Seeds
Traveling art exhibition, CA
2007 “You Call this Art? ” Buckwild Gallery
Venice, CA
2010 “Sharpie Show ” Crewest Gallery
Los Angleles, CA
2012 “Dia de los Muertos Show? ” ChimMaya Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
2013 “Latino Heratage Exhibit? ” ChiMaya Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
2013 “Chicano Y Que ” Plaza de la Raza BoatHouse Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
2016 “Epitaph ” Biola University
La Mirada, CA
1988 “Neo-Expressionism” Otis Art Institute Gallery
Los Angeles CA, USA
1994 “Arte de mi Corazon” University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA USA
1995 “Twisted Tenderness” Arroyo Books Gallery
Highland Park, CA USA
1996 “Revelations 1” Luna Sol Café Gallery
Los Angeles, CA. USA
1996 “The Grey Planet” HomelandCulturalCenter
Long Beach, CA.USA
1997 “Derranged Aesthetics” Casa dela Raza
Santa Barbara CA, USA
2002 “A Decade of Paint” Community Self Determination
Institute. Los Angeles, CA
2005 “Public Eye Private Heart” BlueBird Art House
Whittier, CA
2006 “Blue Prints” Works on Paper Bluebird Art House
Whittier, CA
2010 “Urban Chicano” Homegirl Cafe Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1992 “Imagery in Motion” Traveling Exhibition
LACE, SPARC, Self Help.
Los Angeles, CA.USA
1993 “Next Step” Zero-One Gallery
Los Angeles, CA. USA
1994 “Dia de los Muertos” Otra Vez Gallery
Self Help Graphics
Los Angeles CA, USA
1994 “Urban Revisions” Museum of Contemporary Art
Los Angeles, CA USA
1995 “Villa y Zapata” Homeland Cultural Center
Long Beach, CA. USA
1996 “Grito de Nuestras Almas” Al’s Finger Print Gallery
Long Beach, CA. USA
1998 “Alma De La Raza” Alwun House
Phoenix AZ, USA
1999 “Paintings from the other side” La Luz Gallery
Long Beach CA, USA
2001 “Knowledge Acquired Wisdom Applied” Rock Rose Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
2001 “LA City Giants” CSDI GALLERY
Los Angeles, CA
2002 “Urban Art” ICU ART GALLERY
Los Angeles, CA
2004 “The Prophet” Bluebird Art House Gallery
Whittier, CA
2005 “Dia De Los Muertos” Casita Del Pueblo Gallery
Whittier, CA
2005 “2 to the Dome” Crewest Gallery
Alhambra, CA
2006 “City of LA Urban Cityscapes” Bluebird Art House Gallery
Whittier, CA
2006 “Dawn to Dawn ” Seeds
Traveling art exhibition, CA
2007 “You Call this Art? ” Buckwild Gallery
Venice, CA
2010 “Sharpie Show ” Crewest Gallery
Los Angleles, CA
2012 “Dia de los Muertos Show? ” ChimMaya Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
2013 “Latino Heratage Exhibit? ” ChiMaya Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
2013 “Chicano Y Que ” Plaza de la Raza BoatHouse Gallery
Los Angeles, CA
2016 “Epitaph ” Biola University
La Mirada, CA