Jesus Antonio Rivera
Acting
Biography
Jesus Antonio Rivera, also known under the moniker Demonbabies, is a Metro Detroit–raised, Los Angeles–based multidisciplinary artist and director whose work spans film, video, collage, painting, and performance. A former member of a Public Access Television collective, he first cut his teeth making analog, guerrilla video art with friends—an early immersion that shaped his raw, experimental style. Over the years, he transitioned into commercial and music video production, balancing professional industry work with a steady practice in underground media. His work frequently explores themes of childhood trauma, mental illness, fractured memories, abandonment, and buried family histories—channeling these subjects through a visual language that ranges from lo-fi psychotronic, comedy, horror and surreal absurdity to high-fidelity nightmare beauty. Rivera served on the Board of Directors for Coaxial Arts Foundation for eight years and is the co-founder of the cinema collective Cathode Cinema. His work has been showcased globally in galleries, in print, and even on clothing, reflecting a career built at the intersection of underground art and outsider media.
Known For
When the eccentric cast of a mid-90s Public Access show in Detroit reunite after 20 years to make a new episode, they are forced to take a hard look at their lives and reconcile their teenage dreams with the realities of adulthood.
20 Years Of Madness
A man, in a deep state of psychosis, wanders through a series of disturbing vignettes uncovering a personal reality.
Hypnophrenia
A mixed media video collage story about fear, trauma and family pranks, loosely based on a series of autobiographical events.
Shock Theater
The story of the Fook Fook Boys
Fook Fook Boys
A compilation of VHS footage filmed between 1990 and 1999, this experimental short examines the reckless, chaotic, and transgressive nature of adolescence. Edited from footage shot from ages 13 to 22—the video reflects on how youthful behavior can shape divergent patterns of thought and adulthood. Digitized from over 120 hours of archival home video.
Youth Crimes
A tale about death, drugs, and rock 'n' roll.
Suburban Legend
An elderly couple exchange gifts, words, and something deeper.
The Sword and the Sheath
The second installment in 'The Vortex Zone' trilogy, this experimental short functions as a hypnotic ritual, channeling esoteric symbols and arcane imagery into a spell-like audiovisual meditation.
Hypnotize
A 3-act collage / short film that explores abandonment, mental waves and dark family myths. Exhibited at the 'Infinity Stage: Smashism' Group show at Coaxial Arts in Los Angeles, made possible in part by the Mike Kelley Foundation of the Arts grant.
The Mind Behind You
The first installment in the experimental trilogy The Vortex Zone. A frenetic visual composition. Through rapid-fire imagery and disorienting rhythm, the film explores the psychological architecture of the enneagram—that functions more like a party hex than a narrative.
Hex Mex
Two brats are looking for a good time, Red is looking for revenge. It's all a good time until Rex comes over.
Rex Complex
A short procedural mediation of a psycho-killer who transcends the mundane landscapes of the subconscious and leaps terrifyingly into the dark alleys of the waking mind.
You Are All Fucked
A struggling barbershop finds itself suddenly popular after an online listing mistake and the only person with the experience to handle the new clientele is haunted by a horrific grooming mistake made years earlier and the rivalry that caused it.
Razzmatazz
Answering machine performance art trauma
Ka-Ka Void
Two boys search for a life source.
Karens
After experiencing a disturbing dream, Eric invites his friends over for an impromptu gathering. Initially conceived as a documentation of ketamine use, the film captures a chaotic descent into altered states, featuring the consumption of horse tranquilizers, expired prescription cough syrup, and gasoline huffing. Shot in 1994 and completed a decade later, it stands as a raw time capsule of reckless youth and experimental self-destruction.
Angel Fever
A mixed media video collage story, loosely based on a series of autobiographical summer camp events.