Mexican Contemporary art fans (and anyone looking to see some great local art) have until the end of the month to check out what the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center calls a "new wave" within an old tradition.
The New Wave of Mexican Contemporary Art is a collection of recent works from Phoenix artists Rubén Galicia and Oliverio Balcells that incorporates modern twists to traditional Mexican art sensibilities.
The New Wave of Mexican Contemporary Art is a collection of recent works from Phoenix artists Rubén Galicia and Oliverio Balcells that incorporates modern twists to traditional Mexican art sensibilities.
"This is outside the traditional work people are used to seeing," says José Andrés Girón, artist and curator of the Latino Arts and Cultural Center. "These guys are young, edgy artists that paint a little more contemporary than your old fashioned kind of artwork."
All artists who are members of the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center have the opportunity to show their work, which usually requires a critique and approval from the center's committee.
Galicia and Balcells presented their work, which was viewed as a "positive reflection of our culture," Girón says.
"This is a new wave of the Mexican artist, and they wanted to express a new view, a new attitude, mixing stuff like graphic design with traditional imagery," Girón says. "A lot of iconic-type work, they're very creative."
Galicia and Balcells are Mexican natives and have lived in Arizona for more than a decade.
Galicia is a painter who first began working on canvases in 1998. Balcells is a painter, photographer, and musician, and first began painting in 1988.
The free show will run at the center's main gallery until August 30.
The Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center is located at 174 East Adams Street in Phoenix. The event is free. The exhibit is open on Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Visit the center's website for more information.
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