Glasstire counts down the top five art events in Texas.
For last week’s picks, please go here.
Kathy Vargas, “The Living Move (Self Portrait).” Image courtesy of Kathy Vargas.
1. Kathy Vargas: Light Needs Shadow Needs Light…
Art League Houston
September 13 – November 24, 2024
From Art League Houston:
“As Kathy Vargas reflects on her remarkable decades-long career in the arts — as an artist, art administrator, mentor, activist, and curator — Light Needs Shadow Needs Light… serves as a meditation on the past, present, and future, exploring themes of life, love, and death. Through four distinct series of meticulously composed, hand-painted, silver gelatin photographs, Vargas weaves together the personal and the political, layering references to fantastical elements from her father’s Mexican folklore and her mother’s devout Catholic beliefs.”
A work by Hiba Ali
2. Hiba Ali: Lullabies for the stars in our eyes
Women & Their Work (Austin)
September 28 – November 17, 2024
From Women & Their Work:
“There was this cosmic dust that fell at our feet; we watched it surround us, our bodies and minds, until we began to glow ourselves. What can we sing to ourselves to get through challenging times? Hiba Ali’s exhibition, Lullabies for the stars in our eyes, is a portal into Ali’s bodily worldbuilding on the coastlines of the Swahili-Indian Ocean.
In this large-scale sculptural installation, metallic pools invite the audience in an act of co-creation to rake surrounding sand as they gaze at video works and listen to the installation’s sonic reverberations. Paired with this is a VR meditative installation, Lullabies for tears, which invites visitors to be guided by Ali’s avatar, the star, on a somatic body-processing journey.”
MOM (Brooke Chaney)
3. MOM (Brooke Chaney): I DON’T DREAM ABOUT THE FUTURE
Oak Cliff Cultural Center (Dallas)
October 5 – November 15, 2024
From the Oak Cliff Cultural Center:
“MOM (Brooke Chaney) is a contemporary, multidisciplinary artist based in Dallas, Texas, who has been actively creating since 2020. With a BFA in Fibers from the University of North Texas, Chaney draws deeply on their background in textile surface design processes, including screen printing, vector drawing, and heat transfer vinyl. This experience informs their approach to painting, where layers of flat, opaque shapes shift in color, temperature, and saturation to create punchy and surreal depictions of nature.”
César A. Martínez, “Bato Con Sunglasses,” 2024, acrylic on canvas, 44 x 40 inches
4. César A. Martínez: Smoke & Mirrors
Ruiz-Healy Art (San Antonio)
October 24 – November 30, 2024
From Ruiz-Healy Art:
“César A. Martínez: Smoke & Mirrors encompasses several of the artist’s most acclaimed series, Bato/Pachuco, Serape, and Collage, and will highlight the varied range of mediums, experimentation, and innovation used by Martínez throughout his over fifty-year career. Historical and newer created works will be presented; Acrylic paintings, linoleum relief prints, watercolor paintings, and drawings will be exhibited. A fully illustrated catalogue will be published alongside an essay by Santos G. Martinez Jr., curator of the landmark 1977 Houston Contemporary Arts Museum exhibition Dále Gas: Chicano Art of Texas. Smoke & Mirrors marks the artist’s third solo exhibition with the gallery.”
A work by Her.Mosa Collective, South Texas College
5. What If We Just Stayed Here? ¿Y Si Nos Quedamos Aqui?
South Texas College (McAllen)
August 8 – December 6, 2024
From South Texas College:
“The South Texas College Pecan Campus Library Art Gallery proudly presents What If We Just Stayed Here? ¿Y Si Nos Quedamos Aqui? an exhibition by the Her.mosa Collective featuring three artists from South Texas: Alexandria Conchola, Mónica Lugo, and Sam Rawls.
This exhibition explores the realms of public art and collaboration, employing vibrant colors, and intricate patterns that delve into themes of empowerment and community. The exhibit will showcase several new artworks that reflect the artist’s collective approach to muralism, while also incorporating individual touches to reveal unique identities.”
