About

Legally known as David Quintero, he is a Los Angeles-raised creative of Mexican heritage. His online moniker, the CICADA, is meant to represent a practice of abstaining from both physical and mental pleasures. This is a self-driven pursuit, aimed at driving resilience and encouraging self-control in an overstimulated society. 

 His chosen medium is video and photography, but he also uses painting, image manipulation, and animation to elevate his work. Always straying from groupthink and trends to more readily challenge the audience. 

The Cicada believes in continuously challenging your own chosen beliefs and identity to grow as an individual. His work deals heavily with fears, anxiety, and addiction. He exists to do all in his power to help the individual question his purpose on this Earth and to allow them to finally answer the question, “How do I move forward?”

“I don’t know who GOD is, but I think he gave us all a choice, and that means 

you are responsible for the life you live, no excuses.” 

- the CICADA