March 1 - May 3, 2024
From Cruz Ortiz:
“At times the world is filled with darkness. Oftentimes it is difficult to see the love and beauty that
fills the gaps between us.
“To know love for what it actually is: a perpetual discovery, an immersion in the waters of reality,
and an unending re-creation”—– Octavio Paz
It’s the gap that interests me the most—
– —-NEPANTLA TIME —
— Not as the line between masses but the gap as a cosmic center. Rejecting la frontera as a
peripheral existence and announcing fronterizmo as a series of mega-epicenters, como fluid
filled pulsating muddy earthen vertebrae sprouting with plantas and river animalitos.
The love and beauty part is what I want to paint—–and tambien the tristeza, all at the same
time. Depicting the gente of our times and of the people who have defended the joys of this
tierra.
I often think about being in that electronic cumbia danza sonido beats, just coasting, as if my
body and mind need to heal a little bit. And sometimes a little solito —– pero sometimes drifting
with my partner while carefully trying not to step on her tacones.
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To shift the focus
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on the beauty of our reality—— is vital for sustaining our souls
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The burning sun and cold rain —
— the swaying river trees —
the stars that shine dimly as the night darkens —–
beautiful gente smiling —all big with no fear or shame
How we just want to cook the comida with the people in our lives —and do our best to
remember her recipes —-
Cuando we get all dressed up for the gala or that pulga dance floor
How she tells me ‘make me laugh’ and then i try hard to make it happen in the most natural way
How the pinche cat sits on the buffet table looking outside the window at all the other pinche
cats outside playing
How i remember stories from elders of others before us –that believed in the old ways of
understanding beauty and nature
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——— ——–
I want to paint the things as if they are offerings —- stories —- songs —– of a time
—–of our time –—–
— witnessing the re-birth of our collective realization – where healing turns into paint on canvas
— como un collectiva de mariposas – always in constant motion and offering beauty”
Reception: March 1, 2024 | 6–9 pm
500 San Agustin
Laredo, 78040 TX
956-725-1715
Get directions