Dekotora Truck, by Pomono, California-based artist Jaime Muñoz, portrays a rear section of an extravagantly decorated work truck. The term dekotora specifically refers to a Japanese tradition of decorating work trucks, but such traditions of embellishing work vehicles such as trucks, bicycles, busses, taxis, and tuk tuks are prevalent all over the world. Images of work trucks are among the central symbolic motifs Muñoz mobilizes in his practice.

“The truck becomes emblematic of the circumstances of dehumanization that the worker experiences in their struggle to survive,” says Muñoz. “It operates like an index of this moment in time within our modern life experience. I compare it to the invention of the wheel, or the discovery of the horse, and I think of the ways that this truck reflects the circumstances of industrialization. When I use this index in my work, I intend to visibilize these hidden experiences of the worker, as represented by the truck.”

In this piece, Muñoz builds up the surface of his painting in a way similar to how a decorated truck would be adorned by layering acrylic, glitter, paper, and texture paste onto the wood panel support. It’s noteworthy also how the structure of the part of the truck Muñoz spotlights in this composition is so similar to the structure of stretcher bars supporting a painting on canvas. The result is a superabundant, textured surface rich with content that both pays homage to the traditions it references, and extends them into the realm of fine art.