Ozzie Juarez grew up at swap meets in South Central Los Angeles, where vendors sold everything from fresh produce to household supplies and artwork. Juarez’s family sold clothes and trinkets at three markets; when Juarez was little, his father taught him how to fix broken merchandise before displaying it for customers.
Today, the 33-year-old Juarez goes to the swap meets as a multimedia artist, preparing his upcoming Frieze Projects presentation for the free outdoor exhibition Inside Out. The program, curated by Art Production Fund and part of Frieze Los Angeles, presents eight public works on the grounds of Santa Monica Airport. Juarez’s contribution, Pásale! Pásale! Todo Barato!, brings South Central swap meet culture to Santa Monica. The title—loosely translated to “Come in! Come in! Everything’s cheap!”—pulls from the chants spoken or sung in Spanish by predominantly Mexican American vendors at swap meets.
For his piece, Juarez will construct a swap meet using traditional South Central architecture. The installation is anchored by a 14-by-6-foot mural with two painted panels (re-creating murals found in South Los Angeles) that open suicide door–style. The panels are contained on either side by gates with outstretched bars, fabricated by South Central welders and artists.
Pásale! reflects duality of place. From 2010 to 2014, while attending Santa Monica College, Juarez closely observed the cultural divide between South Central and Santa Monica. As he traveled east to west and back again—a five-hour daily commute on public transport—Juarez watched the gradual transformation of the Los Angeles cityscape. As he got closer to Santa Monica, the DIY murals and cartoon characters spray-painted on liquor storefronts became less frequent.
Juarez hopes to show the Westside the South Central culture it’s missing. “We’re going to have this over-the-top fair with millions and millions of dollars’ worth of art,” says Juarez. “Next to that, we’re going to have this installation that doesn’t require that much money that [can] give you the same satisfaction.”
Juarez will perform as a vendor for several hours each afternoon during the run of Frieze (February 20–23), distributing small items to viewers from the thousand-plus objects he’s collected over the past six months. Juarez considers the months of handpicking items at swap meets—weekly at Los Angeles Harbor College and bimonthly at Los Angeles City College—part of the work. Art Production Fund gave Juarez a budget to subsidize purchases so he can give items to Frieze patrons for free. Still, the audience is challenged to haggle with Juarez for porcelain sculptures, plastic toys, one-off tchotchkes, and jewelry. “There’s something about the haggling culture that’s necessary,” he said. “[Vendors] want you to tell them, ‘I’ll give you this much instead of this much.’”
Frieze attendees will find a pile of objects placed in front of the installation. They’re encouraged to rifle through—it’s part of the fun. Juarez’s favorite finds are sentimentally charged things: bootleg toys from the early 1970s, Dragon Ball Z booster packs filled with cards from the early 1990s.
“It becomes like a meditation, a ritual,” Juarez says. “You never know what you’re going to find. Sometimes you walk away with one thing. Sometimes you walk away with nothing. Sometimes you spend a thousand dollars.”•
FRIEZE PROJECTS: Pásale! Pásale! Todo Barato!
Feb. 20–23, 2025
Santa Monica Airport
3233 Donald Douglas Loop S., Santa Monica
Steven Vargas is an actor, a dancer, and a journalist based in Los Angeles whose work focuses on the intersections of media, social justice, and performance. He has written for the Los Angeles Times, E! News, USA Today, Dance Magazine, ARTnews, and more. He runs an independent weekly newsletter, LA Art Spot.
