Armando Minjarez, curator of the exhibition, giving a gallery tour
My friend Armando Minjarez curated this beautiful exhibition at Marks Art in Wichita and I am incredibly honored to be exhibiting alongside a group of powerhouse artists from the Heartland! Check out the lovely curatorial statement below by Armando. And if any of you happen to be in Wichita, stop by and experience the show in person!
THE SPACE BETWEEN
Marks Art , Wichita, KS
APRIL 9 – MAY 22
Curated by Armando Minjarez, The Space Between presents recent works from eleven established heartland artists: Maria Alarcon Aldrete Wolf, Ari Brielle, Justin Tyler Bryant, Crystal Z. Campbell, Cheyla Clawson Chandler, Brandon De Sha, Kamela Eaton, Israel Alejandro Garcia Garcia, Matthew Willie Garcia, Kathy Liao and Rodolfo Marron III. Memory and perception are dissected in The Space Between through works revealing personal identity, narrative, and history.
CURATORIAL STATEMENT
Pulled from the book “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz, a young Toltec man seeking knowledge to become a shaman, understands one night that though he himself is made of stars, he is not a star, but rather in the space between them. He was light. In this discovery he understood that harmonious force between the stars and the light was Life itself, it was Intent.
The light between the stars is the intent with which we move through space; it gives shape to our interpersonal relations and can scrawl the boundaries of a shared imaginary. With intention indeed and a good jolt of curious energy I have curated a group of artists from around the Heartland states, all of whom explore the space between self and space itself, perception and memory, vestige, and vanguard.
– Text by Armando Minjarez, 2020
CURATOR BIOGRAPHY
Armando Minjarez is a Mexican interdisciplinary artist, designer, and community organizer. His practice is guided by themes of displacement, collaboration, and empowerment to open space for the development of social change strategy, creative expression, and liberation for racialized communities.
Armando has presented work, conducted research, and facilitated workshops and trainings on racism, displacement, migration and creative expression in Canada, USA, Mexico, and throughout Europe. He has been the recipient of several grants, and his creative and community work has been featured on the New York Times, Buzzfeed, C Magazine, CityLab Latino and published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
