contemporary collection - Mexic

SELECTIONS FROM
THE CONTEMPORARY
ART COLLECTION
January 23–May 31, 2015
Main Gallery
The Official Mexican
& Mexican American
Fine Arts Museum of Texas
MISSION STATEMENT
Mexic-Arte Museum is dedicated to cultural enrichment and
education through the collection, preservation and presentation of traditional and contemporary Mexican, Latino, and Latin
American art and culture to promote dialogue and develop understanding for visitors of all ages.
David “Shek” Vega; Untitled; 2010; Mixed media, 8’ x 4’ panels, total size with painted border 10’ x 19’; Mexic-Arte Museum Collection; 2011.2.1a, b, c, d
SELECTIONS FROM THE CONTEMPORARY
ART COLLECTION
This exhibition marks the first time that the Museum will hold
a permanent collection exhibition focused exclusively on its
contemporary art collection. The works on display represent
the concepts, techniques, and subject matter from the diverse
Latino community.
Selections from the Contemporary Art Collection features an array
of contemporary art, showcasing works by David “Shek” Vega,
Adriana Corral, Miguel Aragon, Gil Rocha, and others (listed in
the catalogue). The exhibition highlights a variety of mediums
from installations to two-dimensional works. The works of art
on display explore a range of topics from social commentary
on global politics to contemporary issues pertaining to identity
politics. Demonstrating elements of drama and suspense, for
example, Gil Rocha’s Cartonado juxtaposes fantasy, humor, and
everyday materials in a manner that displays the conceptual
nature of the exhibition. Adriana Corral’s installation Voces de
las Perdidas (Voices of the Lost Women) presents a unique interpretation of the ceramic tile: hanging body tags, composed of
1
soil from the site of the Campo Algodonero (cotton field) murders in Ciudad Juárez, embodying the victims of femicide in
Mexico. David “Shek” Vega’s piece celebrates the centennial of
the Mexican Revolution; his interpretation demonstrates the
artist’s detachment from his Mexican heritage and identity.
PERMANENT COLLECTION
Over the past 30 years, the Mexic-Arte Museum has acquired
works of art for its permanent collection through gift or donation, commission, and purchase. The permanent collection
is composed of approximately 3,000 works of historic and
contemporary Mexican, Latino, and Latin American art.
The majority of collection items were created in the late 20th
century and in the 21st century. Objects reflect many themes
within the humanities including religious transformation in
the Americas, social change in the U.S./Mexico borderlands
region, immigration history, and the importance of popular
art. The collection contains prints (serigraphs, lithographs,
woodcuts, linocuts); paintings; photographs; drawings; sculptures, and masks from various states in Mexico.
2
Gilberto Rocha (b. 1982 in Laredo,
Texas); Cartonado, 2007; Cardboard
and child’s bicycle, 8’ x 4’ x 4’’; Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2014.15.1;
Photo by Sixto-Juan Zavala
HOW DOES A WORK OF ART MAKE IT INTO
A MUSEUM’S PERMANENT COLLECTION?
A permanent collection is comprised of the artwork
owned by a museum, which is usually much larger than
what we see on display. At any given time, museums
display only a portion of their collections. This is often
because exhibition requires much more space than storage; it is impractical for the entire collection to be on
display at one time. The Museum staff creates exhibits
with diferent themes and selects artworks that exemplify
these concepts.
Accessioning is the formal, legal process of accepting an object into a museum collection. Art objects may be acquired
at any time through donation, purchase, or trade. To officially
accession an object into a museum’s collection is to make a
permanent obligation to care for it. Therefore, several issues
must be considered in this decision, such as: Is the object relevant to the museum’s mission and its scope of collecting, as
defined by its governing body? Does the owner of an object have
legal title to the object and therefore the right to transfer it? Is the
object encumbered by any donor restrictions?
Objects may be examined by a conservator and treated for
any pre-existing damage. The object is then cataloged by a
collections registrar or other specialist with knowledge of the
object’s importance and history. Provenance is the history of
an object from the time it was made. Research into an object’s
provenance allows curators to make an informed decision
about accessioning it and how and when to display it.
3
Adriana Corral (b. 1983 in El Paso,
Texas); Voces de las Perdidas (Voices
of the Lost Women), 2011; Ceramic
body bag tags, soil from crime site;
site-specific installation; Mexic-Arte
Museum Collection 2015.1.1; Photo by
Virgil Solis
WHAT IS “CONTEMPORARY” ART?
WHAT IS A MUSEUM LABEL?
The terms “modern” and “contemporary” are used interchangeably in everyday speech, but there are key distinctions between
these movements in art history. The term modern art generally references art produced after the Impressionists (circa
1880) until the term “postmodern” was used in the 1970’s. The
century-long span of modern art encompasses hundreds of art
movements, from Cubism to Pop Art. Contemporary art picks
up where modern art left off, in the 1970’s, and continues to present day. Contemporary art is art that has been and continues to
be created during our lifetimes. This information is incorporated into the label when exhibited (See example on left).
Label: Written words used alone or with illustration in
museum exhibitions to provide information for visitors,
presented as text on exhibit graphic panels or computer
screens. Known to visitors as captions, descriptions, titles,
blurbs, explanations, placards, plaques, legends, cards, labels and “those little words on the wall”.1
Contemporary art also carries the connotation of being more
socially, economically, and politically conscious than the art of
any previous era. When speaking about contemporary art from
the last 45 years, it is often in connection with a response to political issues such as feminism, multiculturalism, globalization,
and other topics of the moment.
ADRIANA CORRAL (b. 1983 in El Paso, Texas)
Voces de las Perdidas (Voices of the Lost Women), 2011
Ceramic body bag tags, soil from crime site;
site-specific installation
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.1.1
Commission for the exhibition Voces de las Perdidas, Mexic-Arte
Museum, 2011 with support from Clay Imports Artesanal and
Michael Candelas
Voces de las Perdidas was created for the back gallery of the
Mexic-Arte Museum and exhibited January 28 - March 27, 2011.
The piece is a clay installation of over 800 tile pieces that represent
the femicides in Mexico. The artist collaborated with local talavera
importer Clay Imports Artesanal who commissioned authentic tile
artisans in Dolores Hidalgo to make the hundreds of hanging tile
pieces by hand. Fusing the traditional ceramic process with current
events in Juarez, Mexico, Corral presents a unique interpretation
of the clay tile as medium. The artist has recreated body bag tags,
used for the deceased, in clay format adding soil collected from
the site of the Campo Algodonero (cotton field) murders. Meant to
illustrate the sheer volume of women’s deaths in Juarez, as well as
the ongoing advocacy for femicide awareness, Corral’s tags are
more than a simple tribute; they grapple with concepts such as the
institutionalization of death, the acceptance of violence, and the
categorical decimation of a population.
Name: The artist’s name (birth year, birth [place)
Year: Year that the work of art was completed
Title: Title of the work of art
Medium: The materials used to create the work or art
Size: The dimensions of the work of art
Accession Number: A control number, unique to an
object, whose purpose is identification, not description.2
Provenance: The history of ownership of a work of art
including the specific geographic location of origin. How
an object came to be part of a museum’s collection.3
Caption label: In addition to the identifying section of a
label, some pieces include a caption that provides background information on the piece and identifies the “big
idea” behind a piece.4
1
Serrell, Beverly. Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. Walnut Creek: Alta Mira,
1996. 239.
2, 3
Buck, Rebecca A., and Jean Allman Gilmore. The New Museum Registration Methods. Washington, DC: American Association of Museums, 1998. 359+.
4
Beverly. Exhibit Labels: An Interpretive Approach. 25-33.
4
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
MIGUEL ARAGÓN (b. 1978 in Ciudad Juárez, México)
Noticias/News Stories, 2012
Cast concrete and newspapers, Varied dimensions
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.2.1
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in Miguel Aragon: Fractured Memories, Assembled Trauma,
Mexic-Arte Museum, 2012
FEDERICO ARCHULETA (b. 1967 in El Paso, Texas)
Cantiflas, 2014
Acrylic paint on plaster of paris, 40” x 11” x 18”
Temporary Loan from Artist
Proposed Acquisition by Community
DAPHNE ARTHUR (b. 1984 in Caracas, Venezuela)
El Juego del Tra Tra Tra, 2009
Wall: canvas, wax, latex, oil paint, wire mesh, fur, plastic, white cloth, nails,
53” x 54 ½” x 31”
Floor: wire mesh, matte medium, fur, enamel, oil paint, spray paint, nails,
belts, 29” x 55” x 67”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2014.16.2
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in Young Latina Artists 19: Y Que?, Mexic-Arte Museum, 2014
CHUY BENITEZ (b. 1983 in El Paso, Texas)
Family Chrome Shop, Auto Chrome Plating Co., Harrisburg, Houston, TX,
2007
From the Series “Leaders of Houston Cultura”
Ultrachrome Print, 16 ½” x 36”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.15.1
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in YLA 12: Embracing Chaos, 2007
JUAN CARLOS CÁZARES (b. 1976 in Queretaro, México)
The Border, 2014
Oil on canvas, 36” x 48”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection, 2014.14.2
Gift of Rafael Franco
BOBBY DIXON (b. 1973 in Portsmouth, Virginia)
Construction Sign, 1996
Mixed media, 43” x 91”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.13.2
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in the 2nd Annual Young Latino Artists, 1996
FIDENCIO DURAN (b. 1961 in Maxwell, Texas)
Goddess of Liberty, 1996
Acrylic on Canvas, Framed 37” x 61”/Unframed 36” x 60”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.21.1
Gift of Bickerstaff Health Delgado Acosta LLP
SANTIAGO FORERO (b. 1979 in Bogotá, Colombia)
Housewife, 2008
Digital Print, 36” x 44”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.20.1
Exhibited in Tarp≠lona, Young Latino Artists 14, Mexic-Arte Museum, 2009
EDUARDO XAVIER GARCIA (b. 1975 in Chicago, Illinois)
Me A Cuer Do Cuan Do, 2011
Mixed media, digital audio player, speakers, silicon, frame,
Varied dimensions, 7” x 17” x 16”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2012.2.1
Gift of the Artist
DIEGO HUERTA (1976, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México)
31K Portraits for Peace (Balloon Vendor), 2012
Vinyl photograph, 48” x 72 ¼”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.7.1
Commission for the exhibition, 31K Portraits for Peace, Mexic-Arte
Museum, 2012
ÁNGEL LEIVA (b. 1941 in Tucumán, Argentina)
Solos en la Multitud (Alone in the Crowd), 2014
With two poems selected for this work, En la Casa Vacia and Cartas
Mixed media on paper, 11 1/8” x 11 ¾”
Gift of the Artist
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.16.1a
MERY GODIGNA COLLET (b. 1959 in Caracas, Venezuela)
Sweet Oil, 2012
Crude Oil in back of 3 super imposed layers of vinyl and fibers from cane
of sugar plant, 118 ½” x 39 ¼”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.11.1
Gift of the Artist
DAVID MEDALLA (b. 1942 in Manila, Philippines)
“The Letter “I” in Front of the Genie de la Bastille, Paris”, The Secret History of
the Mondrian Fan Club, 1996
Hand-painted artist proof, 56 5/8” x 43 7/8”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.4.1
Gift of the Artist from the exhibition Voices (1997), a two person exhibition
with Regina Vater, January 30 to March 8, 1997 at Mexic-Arte Museum
ADRIANA CORRAL (b. 1983 in El Paso, Texas)
Voces de las Perdidas (Voices of the Lost Women), 2011
Ceramic body bag tags, soil from crime site; site-specific installation
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.1.1
Commission for the exhibition Voces de las Perdidas, Mexic-Arte Museum,
2011 with support from Clay Imports Artesanal and Michael Candelas
DIANA MOLINA (b. 1958 in El Paso, Texas)
Serape Carta Blanca, 2012
Collage of recycled paper, 25” x 46 ¾”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2014.14.1
Gift of Rafael Franco
BOBBY DIXON (b. 1973 in Portsmouth, Virginia)
Temperatures (Diptych), 1996
Mixed media on canvas, 72” x 60”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.13.1b
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in the 2nd Annual Young Latino Artists, 1996
5
DELILAH MONTOYA (b. 1955 in Fort Worth, Texas)
Mi Amor Me Ha Dado Recuerdos Para Ti, 2012
Gesso board with artist book, 12” x 12”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.10.1
Gift of Dr. Cynthia E. Orozco, who purchased the donated work of the
artist as part of the Mix ‘n’ Mash 2012 exhibition.
MARCELA MORÁN (b. 1970 in Laredo, Texas)
Audiencia, 2008
Video Recording
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.19.1
Gift of the Artist
RANDY MUNIZ (b. 1986 in Houston, Texas)
Ape Dos Mil, 2008
Charcoal drawing mounted on board, 14’ x 4’
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.9.1
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in the Young Latino Artists 14: TARP ‡ lona
SYLVIA OROZCO (b. 1954 in Mercedes, Texas)
Legal migrants illegal migrants
alien migrants flow on the Border
wetting the country with sweat.
Border Patrol guards the
migratory stream looking for
Deportable aliens ignoring the status.
A proportion of all leave
Cargando sueños,
esperanzas aspiraciones,
exported C.O.D., 1983
Acrylic, spray paint on canvas, 36 ¾” x 47 ¾”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.17.1
Promised to Mexic-Arte Museum by Sylvia Orozco
CRUZ ORTIZ (b. 1972 in Houston, Texas)
Untitled (from the Urban Transmission Series), 2001
Mixed media installation, Various dimensions
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.8.1
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in Traces of Culture, 6th Annual Young Latino Artist, Mexic-Arte
Museum, 2001
RICARDO PANIAGUA (b. 1981 in Dallas, Texas)
Singularity, 2013
Lacquer on MDO Panel, 47” diameter
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.5.1
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in Young Latino Artists 18/Con Juntos, Mexic-Arte Museum, 2013
PURO CHINGÓN COLLECTIVE
CLAUDIA APARICIO-GAMUNDI (b. 1984 in Monterrey, Mexico)
Niño/Niña Alien Plush Doll, 2014
Hand-sewn & screenprinted on canvas, 18 ¼” x 11” x 3”
Edition of 10
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2014.17.4
Gift of the Artist
PURO CHINGÓN COLLECTIVE
CLAUDIA ZAPATA (b. 1984 in Waco, Texas)
Mapache Bear Plush Doll by Claudia Zapata, 2014
Hand-sewn & screenprinted on canvas, 19 5/6” x 10 ½” x 3”
Edition of 10
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2014.17.5
Gift of the Artist
PURO CHINGÓN COLLECTIVE
JAMES HUIZAR (b. 1984 in Pleasanton, Texas)
Texas Eagle Plush Doll by James Huizar, 2014
Hand-sewn & screenprinted on canvas, 18” x 10.5” x 4 ¾”
Edition of 10
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2014.17.6
Gift of the Artist
ARTURO RIVERA (b. 1945 in México City)
Air, 2003
Charcoal and sanguine drawing on paper, 56 ½” x 39 ½”
Long term loan from the artist
GILBERTO ROCHA (b. 1982 in Laredo, Texas)
Cartonado, 2007
Cardboard, child’s bicycle, and transistor radio, 8’ x 4’ x 4’
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2014.15.1
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in 14th Annual Young Latino Artist Exhibition, Mexic-Arte
Museum, 2008
PAUL VALADEZ (b. 1965 in San Francisco, California)
El Corazon Duele, 2006
Acrylic on masonite, 23 7/8” x 24 7/8”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.14.1
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in the 2009 Texas Biennial
(RAFAEL) VARGAS-SUAREZ UNIVERSAL (b. 1972 in México City)
101 Years Prefabricated, 1995
Mixed media on paper, 34” x 31 ¼”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.6.1
Gift of the Artist
(RAFAEL) VARGAS-SUAREZ UNIVERSAL (b. 1972 in México City)
Astronomical Unit, 1996-97
Black & red: Oil on wood, 25 1/8” x 17 ¾”
White & red board: 46.125” x 16.125”
Black and Beige board: 22.75” x 17.75”
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.6.3a, b, c
Gift of Sylvia Orozco
REGINA VATER (b. 1943 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Dead Cargo, 1991
Wood, concrete and feathers, 6” x 11” x 35’
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2015.3.2
Gift of the Artist
Exhibited in Counter Colon-ialismo, Mexic-Arte Museum, 1992
DAVID “SHEK” VEGA (b. 1981 in San Antonio, Texas)
Untitled, 2010
Mixed media, 8’ x 4’ panels, total size with painted border 10’ x 19’
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection 2011.2.1a, b, c, d
Commission for the exhibition, Promises of Independence & Revolution:
Artists Interpreting México
6
THANK YOU TO THE ARTISTS AND PATRONS
As the capital of Texas, home to various universities, and as a
city with close ties to Mexico, the Austin community has always provided the Museum with a consistent flow of talented
artists and opportunities. Many of the artists have generously
contributed their artworks. They have also assisted in selection, curated exhibitions, and have created artworks through
commissions. We acknowledge and thank the artists and patrons for the donations that have made this collection possible.
Important collections are built piece by piece. Together as a
community, we are creating a collection with the pioneering
works that serve to teach about our culture and heritage for
generations to come.
The Official Mexican
& Mexican American
Fine Arts Museum of Texas
@mexic_arte
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Cover Art:
Top Left: Ricardo Paniagua; Singularity; 2013; Lacquer on MDO Panel, 47”; Mexic-Arte
Museum Collection
Bottom Left: David “Shek” Vega; Untitled (detail); 2010; Mixed media, 8’ x 4’ panels,
total size with painted border 10ft. x 19ft; Mexic-Arte Museum Collection
Top Right: Daphne Arthur; El Juego del Tra Tra Tra (detail); 2009; Wall: canvas, wax,
latex, oil paint, wire mesh, fur, plastic, white cloth, nails, 53” x 54 ½” x 31”; Floor: wire
mesh, matte medium, fur, enamel, oil paint, spray paint, nails, belts, 29” x 55” x 67”;
Mexic-Arte Museum Collection
Bottom Right: Gilberto Rocha; Cartonado; 2007; Cardboard, child’s bicycle, and transistor radio, 8’ x 4’ x 4’; Mexic-Arte Museum Collection
Alice Kleberg Reynolds
Foundation
This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department. © Mexic-Arte Museum 2015