“L.A. Fingers” and Its Significance in Los Angeles Culture

The “L.A. Fingers” popularized by Estevan Oriol’s iconic 1995 photograph, has inspired two sculptures by Glenn Kaino that will be installed at each end of the new 6th Street bridge.

The gesture forms an “L” and an “A,” representing the initials of Los Angeles, making it a recognizable emblem of the city. While the gesture might be used to identify with fellow Angelenos, the hand arrangement doesn’t seem intuitive enough for it to align perfectly with this purpose. This symbol receives a tribute in bronze.

Origin of the L.A. Fingers

The “L.A. Fingers” photo has been both a gift and a curse for Oriol since he took it in 1995. A native Angeleno, Oriol recalls showing the gesture with Cypress Hill in the mid-’90s while he was the band’s tour manager. “We wanted to show where we were from,” says Oriol. However, he does not claim to have created it. “I wasn’t the first to throw the sign, but I can confidently say I was the first to capture it in a photo.“

When clothing retailers H&M and Brandy Melville started selling a T-shirt with a recreated photo of “L.A. Fingers,” Oriol sued them in 2013. The judge ruled that, like a peace sign, the gesture couldn’t be trademarked, Oriol explains.

The bronze tribute to the symbol of the L.A. Fingers

On September 13, 2023, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) granted official approval for the installation of two identical bronze sculptures by Glenn Kaino at each end of the new 6th Street bridge.

Each 14-foot sculpture will depict two hands forming an intertwined “L.A.,” a symbol popularized by Estevan Oriol’s 1995 photograph “L.A. Fingers,” where a Latina woman’s hands create the gesture. The sculptures will be located in parks yet to be constructed at the western end in the Arts District and the eastern end in Boyle Heights.

Kaino was first commissioned in 2013, proposing a single sculpture as a symbol of connection between the communities on either side of the Los Angeles River. An early concept included one hand from each side of the river, created from molds of hundreds of residents’ hands. The project’s budget is $1.86 million, funded by the city’s Percent for Public Art program, which requires private developers to allocate one percent of their project’s valuation for public art.

Kaino faced criticism for not acknowledging Oriol’s photo as the source of his sculpture. Though Oriol did not create the hand gesture, his iconic 1995 photograph is widely credited with making it famous. For over three decades, the photographer has documented elements of lowrider, “Cholo,” hip-hop, graffiti, and tattoo cultures.

Kaino stated he would not proceed without Oriol’s approval. Fortunately, he connected with the photographer shortly after the meeting, and the two had several discussions in Kaino’s studio. “We evolved the sculptures to be my hand and his hand,” says Kaino, “someone from the east side of the river and someone from the west,” as Oriol was born in Santa Monica.

In addition to his involvement in the sculpture itself, a plaque will be installed alongside the sculptures attributing them to “Glenn Kaino with Estevan Oriol,” recognizing Oriol’s photograph “L.A. Hands” for popularizing the gesture and commemorating his collaboration with Kaino. The plaque states that Oriol’s “artworks have transcended the locality of their creation to become universal symbols of pride, courage, and humanity and an integral part of the Los Angeles landscape.”