February Artist Highlight
We at The Limelight are constantly inspired by the vibrant arts scene that permeates Chicago’s every corner. In hopes to connect our audience to the infinitely talented artists who make it on our radar (Chicago local or not), we present The Limelight Blog’s ‘Artist Highlight’ series! As per our mission statement, we hope to expand our network as wide as we possibly can, and encourage you to share your creative talents with us so we can share YOU with our audience! As always, never stop chasing The Limelight.
BY STEPHANIE HARO
DANIEL SALAS-ALVAREZ
Daniel Salas-Alvarez is a Mexican multidisciplinary artist born and raised in Chicago, driven by an unfiltered vision of the world. His work tears back the veil on society, exposing its raw, often unsettling truths. Rejecting traditional practices, Daniel embraces a wide range of mediums to challenge norms and ignite conversation. His art doesn’t just exist—it speaks, provoking thought on societal, environmental, and deeply personal struggles. In a world that too often silences, Daniel refuses to be unheard. His vision is urgent, his voice undeniable, and his work a testament to the power of fearless expression.
Daniel Salas-Alvarez is a Mexican interdisciplinary artist blending fine arts and graphic design to explore identity, culture, and societal themes. Through painting, drawing, and digital media, he highlights overlooked narratives and captures the essence of his heritage while seeking global collaboration and exhibition. Love Hurts is part of an ongoing series that will soon be seen across Chicago—so keep an eye out!
You can find more work at @daniel_sa1ad on Instagram!
IDKJOELLE
Roundabout Odyssey
Intaglio Print
My name is Joelle and I’m a Polish Mexican artist from IL. I’m pretty talkative and eccentric in person as I like to get involved with DIY scenes, such as printing designs for bands. I primarily focus on printmaking artwork and screenprinting t-shirts with different characters that I’ve designed. I’m not the biggest fan of portraying myself realistically in my artwork, so I use the cartoon characters that I draw as an outlet to explore existential dread and anxieties in my life. My biggest inspiration are boring t-shirt designs people would buy at Tillys or whatever because they motivate me to create colorful graphics so people can express themselves even in depressing times.
When I was younger, my grandma got sick and it led me to missing a lot of school while my mom navigated us through multiple hospitals in Chicago. I didn't understand the purpose of these trips at the time, but I admired the noise of CTA cars bustling through stations and the continuous rain that fell from the skies above. The goal was to capture the feeling of a decaying modern world so I decided to use a copperplate to incorporate shades of gray to reinforce the melancholy feel.
FInd @idkjoelle on Instagram!
SOFIA A. OSSA
My name is Sofia Ossa and I am an aspiring academic and part-time poet. With my works, I endeavor to capture the complicated facets of modern relationships (everything between romance, mentorship, family, and food) and the human condition as they exist within the confines of expectations, gender roles, and technology.
As an individual, I find myself motivated and inspired by re-invention stories and the hero's arc. While most of us will not change our names, start over, or enter into a new world, we can engage in smaller acts of personal development that contribute to our final form. It is my firm belief that there is no greater tale than that of the human condition. Thus, I make the attempt to serve a sliver of it through every piece of poetry.
Gluttony by Sofia A. Ossa
The hollow of your fridge light
Reveals the hunger in your lip bite.
Deep within, the pit inside you grows.
Your single serving of might,
Wasted on the “good” fight.
All you see is shelves of woe.
Don’t act like you know coolness,
From my palm I fed you fullness.
So please, just tell me what your craving
And I’ll have the table raving.
I’m really getting sick of people asking
About the empty seat I’m still saving.
Worn down to skin and bone,
You are all too familiar
With their proscribed unknown.
You sit at their table yet you are all alone.
With every bite, you will be made to atone.
So why do you choose the stomach ache
Of eating on your own?
Your religious fasting
Will not save you from their casting,
Down to Earth from a high horse.
There is no love everlasting
Without the unmasking
Of what you’re really hungry for.
Chewing on divine doubt,
It’ll burn you till you spit it out.
Condemned to a life without flavor,
Just to keep the holy favor,
When we have welcomed you to be braver.
Under my kitchen’s lowlight,
Pick up a fork and end all the strife.
Take the spoon and leave the dull knife.
Have a bite and join the charmed life.
Eat away at your starving self.
Enjoy a slice of heaven,
For it won’t condemn you to hell.
The guilt of hunger, the shame of satiation, and a taste for more. To enjoy one’s self openly is a true mark of freedom and fulfillment, and what better way to capture that than with the metaphor of a meal. We are in an age where we are taught to withhold our true feelings, to be nonchalant, and obey social rules that neither benefit us nor offer inclusion after we compromise our most basic hunger. So much suffering for a seat at a table, just to discover that no one will sit with you. My hope is that any reader who has confused isolation for acceptance, will realize that there is better company to eat with.
Thank you so much to Daniel Salas-Alvarez, IDKJoelle, & Sofia A. Ossa for your patience and for sharing your art with us. We hope our audience connects to your work as much as we did!
