HELY OMAR

GONZáLEZ

Hely Omar González is a painter based in Long

Beach, California. He earned his BFA from Laguna

College of Art & Design. González’s work draws

from his personal experiences growing up as a first-

generation Mexican American in the culturally rich

and diverse Central Valley of California. Borrowing

from documentary strategies, González uses the

framework of narrative fiction as he reconsiders

representations of labor, race and leisure. González’s

work has been exhibited at venues including the

Santa Monica Museum of Art (now the Institute for

Contemporary Art Los Angeles), Charlie James

Gallery, Ochi Gallery, UTA Artist Space, Praz-

Delavallade Projects and Tlaloc Studios in Los

Angeles, CA; Muzeo Cultural Center in Anaheim,

CA; and the Long Beach Museum of Art, Artistic

Edge Gallery, Rancho Los Cerritos, The New

Americans Gallery in Long Beach, CA and Open

Gallery in Long Beach, CA. His work has been

featured in publications including LA Weekly,

HYPERALLERGIC and the Long Beach Post.