The Perez Brothers

Low and Slow, Mean and Clean

- Gwynned Vitello

Candy apple red in the most lustrous gloss, maybe acrid acid green suffused in pinpricks of metallic stars, each taken wing by slices of chrome, as luxurious leather or velvet tempt from within. While these are typical highlights prized by Lowriders and their fans, community is more than key. As Steve Velasquez of the Smithsonian Institute has observed, “The car aspect was 10%, the social aspect was 90%.” While I knew the Perez Brothers were master narrators of the culture, I didn’t expect to meet artists so modest and unpretentious, who truly make art for the sheer love of the culture and joy in the process. It’s no surprise that Andrew Hosner of Thinkspace Projects recognized their talent for painting stories of commonality and family. Speaking of which, Alejandro and Vicente answered some questions individually, but mostly, yes, as identical twins. And never mean.

Gwynned Vitello: I can’t help but start with the same question that most people who hear about you two probably have. Twins are a fascination, identical twins, even more so. But the fact you make art together is almost hard to believe. Growing up, was being twins something that seemed natural or crazy? Did you have siblings, and where did you fall in the mix?

The Perez Brothers: About half the people we meet ask about our art and half about being twins. Growing up, it was, for sure, a natural thing to us. We didn't think it was crazy or weird or anything like that. To us, we were just two brothers who were the same age and looked the same. But the funny thing is that whenever we would see another pair of twins together, we would get blown away and think how wild it was—we still do! And yeah, we are the oldest of five, with a younger sister and two younger brothers.