José Lara Menéndez

As a figurative artist, my practice delves into identity, gender, alienation, and my perception of time, through dreamlike narratives in eerie, liminal spaces. I build lighting in my compositions in unnatural ways to suggest paranormal and alternate realities. The figures in my work are an in-between of fiction and autobiography as a way to layer multiple narratives and internal dialogues.

My paintings summon a tension to reflect the environmental and social constraints I navigate under capitalism. I grapple with dysphoria vs. euphoria, and the “hurry sickness” that distorts our sense of worth and presence. Some paintings demonstrate the infinite, using cosmic and spatial composition to gesture toward the vast and elusive. While others draw the viewer into the immediacy of the present. I dwell in the contemplation of the ‘now’—sometimes meditative, sometimes uneasy. Continuing my exploration of queer time, I bridge my interests in theories of spacetime and general relativity with the nonlinear temporal experience of queer and trans folks.

Creating these figures is a form of self-affirmation, a carving out of space to exist and think differently, even in adversity. Drawing on my interests in queer theory, particularly Jack Halberstam’s writing on "queer failure" and “queer time”, my artistic drive aims to challenge colonial perspectives on gender and self-worth. Through the otherworldly, I aim to find a shared humanity in my personal experiences and to offer viewers glimpses into states of indeterminacy, resilience, and transformation.

José Lara Menéndez is a visual figurative artist who holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from Concordia University (2022) and is now continuing their studies as an MFA candidate there. The artist creates surrealist dreamlike scenes featuring cartoon figures navigating otherworldly spaces. Menéndez is the recipient of the SSHRC Master’s program scholarship (2025), the Dale and Nick Tedeschi Studio Scholarship (2024), the Tom Hopkins Memorial Graduate Scholarship (2024), and the Research and Creation grant from the Canada Council for the Arts (2022). In 2022, they participated in the Art Volt mentorship program. Menéndez has exhibited their work across Montreal and Canada, and in 2024, joined the Art Volt Collection.

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