Paul Acevedo Gomez: No Pierdas El Tino

September 5-26, Main Gallery

The title of the exhibition is built around a popular song that you chant during the action of hitting a piñata. It loosely translates to “Don’t Lose Aim” which I use to speak about my personal story and talk about my identity as a Mexican American artist. I offer a distinctive perspective on the pursuit of identity through art, evoking a universal sense of yearning tobelong in a world that often marginalizes and isolates. Engaging with the community, I share a diverse narrative that not only celebrates Mexican American heritage but also integrates relatable experiences accessible to all, fostering inclusivity and connection through my work.

My work is created using printed material, color pencils and charcoal on heavyweight paper. They are an assortment of vivid colors and black & white compositions, which can reference somber or joyful moments from piece to piece. Working with a variety of sizes, I am able to recreate vivid recollections of personal conversations and instances that feel intimate and ambitious. Each composition reveals a new way of confronting those situations one last time. Through the process, I have the ability to create immediate and expressive marks with my choice of materials. This allows for content that feels larger than life to represent those important moments which I want the audience to visualize.

Each piece invoke thematic states of power, submissiveness, contemplation and action. Part of this experience can be distinguished using language as both a barrier and additive element in my work. In many cases, expressing a temporal and spatial relation to my unique identity, with the intention of translating my ideas and experiences for the viewer to contemplate and react to. In the work I employ references from personal reflection of heritage, challenging the societal norms imposed by family values, the expectations of culture and religion, with influences of both Mexican and American pop culture.

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