Art Share L.A. proudly presents La Fuerza Reunida, an exhibition curated by Fabian Debora of Homeboy Art Academy. This exhibition will open in our perimeter gallery on Saturday, August 2, 2025 alongside the Art Share L.A. Summer Block Party happening from 3PM - 8PM.
La Fuerza Reunida: The Legacy of the Bandana
La Fuerza Reunida brings together a collective of Los Angeles-based artists whose work reclaims and reimagines the meaning of one of the most recognizable and culturally significant garments in our communities—the bandana. Known across generations as the pañuelo, rag, or flag, the bandana has long transcended its utilitarian origins. From the fields of México to the streets of LA, it has been a symbol of labor, protection, survival, and pride.
This exhibition is rooted in memory. It honors the hands of our elders who wore it while toiling under the sun, and the way it was used with love—to clean, to carry, to shine. It evokes the image of abuelitos wiping sweat after a day’s work, tíos polishing their shoes to reflect dignity, and mothers tying it around their hair with grace and strength.
Through mixed media, paint, textile, sculpture, and photography, La Fuerza Reunida transforms the bandana into a visual language—a sacred symbol elevated through artistic expression. Each artist brings their personal history and cultural perspective, breathing new life into a shared legacy. The works speak of resilience, identity, migration, resistance, and love. They remind us that the bandana is not just worn—it is carried, honored, and passed on.
In reclaiming the bandana, these artists reclaim narrative. This is not just an exhibit of objects. It is a living archive, stitched together by lived experience and collective memory. Here, the bandana becomes a canvas for affirmation—a flag of who we are, where we’ve been, and the beauty of what we continue to become.
About Fabian Debora
Fabian Debora was born in El Paso, Texas and began his career in 1995 as a member of the East Los Angeles Streetscapers. He was mentored by many Chicano artists and muralists, and was introduced to creative expressions of all forms, from graffiti and murals to sketching and fine art painting. Fabian’s work has been showcased in solo and group exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad, including Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Brooklyn, and throughout Latin America. Fabian served as a counselor and the Director of Substance Abuses Services & Programming as well as a mentor at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles for a decade. He then moved on to work as Community Connection Director at Arts for Incarcerated Youth Network. He is also a teaching artist for ACTA Alliance of traditional Arts, bringing arts to adult correctional facilities. He works in collaboration with Latino Producers Action Network (LPAN) as the Art Director, and is an instructor for community artists and students throughout Boyle Heights. He has now returned to Homeboy Industries as the Executive Director of Homeboy Art Academy pursuing and developing his vision to continue to serve the greater Los Angeles area, and abroad.
"Homeboy Art Academy strives to extend the mission of providing hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated youth and adults, by securing a space in which the arts can be the central modality to healing and transformation." - Fabian Debora