Video by Abraham Aguillon Orsagh.
This month, San Antonio got a special treat in the form of a collaboration between local curatorial duo, Motherling, and Jacqueline Valenzuela, a renowned artist and curator from Los Angeles. The exhibition “L.A. to S.A.” took place at Mercury Project in Southtown and was so well received that plans for an “S.A. to L.A.” exhibition are already underway between the curators for December 2023 in Los Angeles.
“L.A. to S.A.” brings together a diverse group of artists that highlight the vast similarities within the Latinx art community. These similarities bring with them a feeling of home, familiarity and comfort. The artist’s bring these feelings to the surface all while highlighting their own variances in themes and art practices. This exhibition is meant to hone in on the impact our presence has made within the communities we call home. And how these impacts spread beyond each individual city, actually creating a larger network of communidad throughout the country.
Regardless of where in this country our families have planted roots, there are clear cultural markers that our Latine communities have made. Whether it be street art, paisano cultura, cholo/a culture, street corner markets or bodegas, street vendors, or more, the list goes on. These similarities seen in cities throughout the U.S. create a sense of a larger community for Latinx artists. Oftentimes a viewer may come into contact with art made in a city that is not their hometown, yet the viewer is still reminded of their own neighborhood, friends, families and surroundings.
Jacqueline Valenzuela (b. East Los Angeles, CA) received a BFA in Drawing and Painting from California States University Long Beach (2019). Valenzuela is a multimedia artist whose practice is centered around her personal experiences as a woman within the Chicano world of lowriding. Her art practice reflects the deep roots she has planted in the lowrider community by bridging the gap between fine art and this underrepresented community. Her work has been exhibited throughout the greater Los Angeles area, including the South Gate Museum (South Gate), Brea Gallery (Brea), South Pasadena City Hall Gallery (Pasadena), The Mexican Center for Culture and Cinematic Arts of the Mexican Consulate (Los Angeles), ArtShare L.A. (Los Angeles), and most recently with Motherling at Mercury Project (San Antonio,TX) for the “L.A. To S.A.” exhibition.
Motherling is a women-run art collective dedicated to presenting the contemporary in a familiar format. Motherling was founded by best friend duo Sealia Montalvo and Crisa Valadez, two college students and young artists of color. Their goal as curators is to highlight underrepresented and up-and-coming artists, integrating their work alongside more established contemporary artists in a DIY format.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
LOS ANGELES:
Josh Vasquez @joshybehr
Mark Anthony Hocutt @little_lowlows
Jacqueline Valenzuela @pieldemazapan
Jesse Jaramillo @pinche_kid
Kiara Aileen Machado @kiara_aileen_arts
Edgar Martinez @edgar.prints
Elizabeth Munzon @emunzon
Eduardo Viramontes @e.viramontes
SAN ANTO:
Gali Gonzalez @gali_gonz_art
Kayla Matta @mamachiflada
Rubén Luna @gachostyle
Isabel Ann Castro @queenoftacostx
Chris G. AKA Gemini Vato @geminivato
José Villalobos @josevillalobosart
Ashleigh Valentine @ashleigh_valentine_garza
Suzy González @soozgonzalez
