Conjunto is a Spanish word that translates literally to “conjunct” or “joined together” and refers to a musical genre indigenous to South Texas. It is a music that holds the capacity for various qualities such as tenderness, celebration, and even social commentary, often complexly weaving together several of these into a single piece. In a new exhibition of artworks by Cande Aguilar and Josuè Rawmírez at La Tijera in Brownsville, conjunto is a word that resonates both sonically and visually throughout.
Installation view of “Cande Aguilar and Josuè Rawmírez” at La Tijera. Photo: Michael Flanagan
Cande Aguilar is a Brownsville native who has exhibited internationally at galleries and museums in Texas, New York, New Mexico, California, Mexico, and France. I first encountered his work in Soy de Tejas, a 2023 exhibition that traveled to San Antonio and Fort Worth. Aguilar’s piece in the show, Past the Shock, is an impressive 20-foot painting spread across five panels. I distinctly remember being taken aback when the wall label revealed that the artist was a Brownsville native. It’s a sense of surprise that’s not lost on Aguilar, with the artist stating in a 2020 Texas Observer feature highlighting his recent New York gallery solo show, “The infrastructure, it’s just not here… As far as I know, nobody’s ever actually had a solo show in New York, being from here and working out of [Brownsville].”
Cande Aguilar, “Past the Shock,” 2008, multimedia painting on panels. Photo: grayDUCK Gallery
Aguilar’s work at La Tijera mostly consists of hand-painted recreations of popular signage that can be found throughout the Rio Grande Valley, advertising food, music, and other services. One exception to this can be found in a triptych in which the top panel contains the word “Assange,” in seemingly grateful reference to the Australian Wikileaks founder, while the remaining panels spell out the phrase “Assange Super Gracias.”
Installation view of “Cande Aguilar and Josuè Rawmírez” at La Tijera. Photo: Michael Flanagan
Also present in the aforementioned Soy de Tejas exhibition, Josuè Rawmírez was born in Ciudad Mante, Mexico, and currently lives and works in the Rio Grande Valley. In addition to his work as an artist, Rawmírez is a journalist and co-founder of Trucha, an online platform and cultural collective. Rawmírez ’s background as a journalist is a useful context when considering his handmade paper assemblages. Reading like a deconstructed piñata, the work peels back the layers of these utilitarian sculptures that are commonly used for celebrations in Mexico. Often made of papier-mâché, this element of the artwork’s construction highlights newspaper headlines such as “Unfair: Current redistricting clearly discriminatory” and “Pipeline company evades questions on reporting oil spill.”
Josuè Rawmírez, “Piñata Paper Archive,” 2021 [detail]. Photo: Michael Flanagan
“Cande Aguilar and Josuè Rawmírez” at La Tijera. Photo: Michael Flanagan
There is a comfortable dialogue that exists between the two artists’ work in this show, though there is also a third voice taking part in the conversation — that of the space itself. Raised in New York City, gallery owner Mariana Smith, who is herself an artist with Brownsville roots and art world connections (her father is the acclaimed artist Ray Smith), spent 3 years restoring and learning about the history of the space that houses La Tijera before opening to the public in 2024. During the restoration process, it was discovered that the building was originally part of Brownsville’s 19th-century city hall, a discovery that guided Smith in her design of the space. More than 100 years of history are visible, from the present-day restorations to the original brickwork that is exposed throughout. There is a certain timelessness to Aguilar’s and Rawmírez ’s works that speaks to the shapes and colors of the various layers of exposed materials on the gallery’s walls.
Josuè Rawmírez, “Piñata Stalagmite” Photo: Michael Flanagan
At a recent opening event, Aguilar played the accordion while Rawmírez danced in a sculptural costume of his own design, shedding remnants that new visitors will continue to find spread around the gallery floor. It all comes off as a monumental celebration of the resilient spirit of Mexican American culture that has been a cornerstone of Brownsville and the preceding cultures that have inhabited its space for hundreds of years. Perhaps it also suggests a burgeoning infrastructure that might support a continuing crop of young artists who make their mark throughout Texas, New York, and beyond.
Cande Aguilar x Rawmírez is on view through March 29th at La Tijera. Follow La Tijera on social media for more information.
