After a disaster or accident a petitioner, grateful for a miracle received, dedicates an Ex-Voto, a small painting with a short testimonial to his patron Saint. This concept of asking for favors and using art as payment and propaganda for received graces dates back to pre-historical times. Often, at the bottom section, there is a written testimony of how the miracle occurred. The devotee commissions the retablo from a specialized artist called milagrero (miracle maker). Francisco Larios’ prize-winning work comprises 24 urban life images created with three-dimensional modeling software. The artist develops characters and environments, inserting figures of saints; a postmodern version of the ex-voto, those religious offerings (given in gratitude for intercessions received) that believers deposit in churches. Larios Osuna's pieces, however, are characterized by the banality of their tone -not by the intimacy one often finds in these offerings - and the plain language of the prayers. Gratitude is given not only for the health of a son or one’s survival after an accident, but also for things such as a connection to the Internet or the cancellation of a debt. Larios Osuna refers to contemporary socio-political realities, to bourgeois life, to contradictory social values, and to the role of religion in society. His work speaks in a pan-Latin American language and it combines tradition and modernity, humor, and social commentary.
BY Mónica Kupfer, Art Nexus

Francisco Larios Osuna is a multidisciplinary artist who uses painting, drawing and digital 3D software to explore relations between humans and divinity; pain and suffering; and the dual capacity of humans to create and destroy. His work has been exhibited in Art Basel, Switzerland and Basel, Miami. He took first prize at the Biennials in Mexico City, Cuenca, Ecuador and Monterrey, Mexico and is in the permanent collections of contemporary art museums throughout the U.S. and Latin America.