David Zamora Casas Pays Homage to Artpace's History

01.14.10

SAN ANTONIO, Texas- Artpace San Antonio is pleased to announce David Zamora Casas' (San Antonio, Texas) return to Artpace as the first artist in our WindowWorks series' year-long salute to past residents. Picante is an interactive public tribute in honor of Artpace founder Linda Pace, who was a personal friend of the artist.

Rooted in the Mexican tradition of Catholic home devotional altars and inspired by the San Antonio landscape, Picante fuses Aztec imagery and magical realism, whimsically reflecting on both global and personal concerns. Poetry, folklore, and various perspectives of the afterlife are intertwined with representation and metaphor. Flowers, maguey, pata de vaca, four-leaf clovers, and rose petals were acquired from Chris Park, a space Linda Pace created in loving memory of her son, Chris Goldsbury, who died tragically young. This multimedia installation also includes paintings, sculpture, recorded poetry, light, and fragrant oils.

ABOUT THE ARTIST
David Zamora Casas is a painter, community activist, curator, and installation and performance artist living in San Antonio, Texas. For the past fifteen years, Casas has constructed altars that integrate traditional Latino themes with an eclectic consideration of modern-day experiences. He organized the first lesbian and gay art show in Texas, entitled "Equal rights for whom?" in 1989 at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center and is an AIDS activist. He has taken his life as a Latino, an activist, and a gay man and put it into his artwork, engaging his audience in conversations about difficult issues during his performances. According to Casas, "My work has always been connected to oral history, traditions, culture, and personal concerns relating to time and space. Using the allure of bright colors and a pantheon of autobiographical representations of fantasy, reality, life and death, sexuality and religion, I create work that reflects issues of consequence. My fortunate blessing is to be able to put my passion and ideas on a canvas that promotes interaction with multiple communities."

EXHIBITION DETAILS AND RELATED EVENTS
David Zamora Casas: Picante is supported in part by The Cultural Collaborative, a division of the City of San Antonio's Office of Cultural Affairs.

Exhibition Dates
Exhibition Dates: January 14 - May 7, 2010

2 To Watch
Featuring David Zamora Casas and Bárbara Renaud González
March 25, 2010: 6:30-8:00pm
This collaborative program between Artpace and Gemini Ink will pair Artpace's Window Works artist David Zamora Casas and writer Bárbara Renaud González for an evening of words and images.

Private Tours
Tours in both Spanish and English are available by appointment. To schedule a group tour, contact Matt Johns at mjohns@artpace.org or call 210 212 4900 x314.

ABOUT ARTPACE
Artpace San Antonio serves as a laboratory for the creation and advancement of international contemporary art. Artpace believes that art is a dynamic social force that inspires individuals and defines cultures. Our residencies, exhibitions, and education programs nurture the creative expression of emerging and established artists, while actively engaging youth and adult audiences.

Artpace is located downtown at 445 North Main Avenue, between Savings and Martin streets, San Antonio, Texas. Free parking is available at 513 North Flores Street. Artpace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free.

445 North Main Avenue San Antonio TX 78205 t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 www.artpace.org