Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective

Organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum, the exhibition features art by the internationally acclaimed artist duo (and brothers) Einar and Jamex de la Torre. The 40 mixed-media works include blown-glass sculptures and installation art, plus some of the artists’ latest lenticulars with imagery that changes as the viewer moves from side to side. The de la Torre brothers will be in El Paso for the exhibition’s opening on Thursday, October 19 at the Rubin Center and Saturday, October 21 at Mi Casa Gallery in San Elizario. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear the artists speak about the exhibition and their creative process. Representatives from the Smithsonian will also be in attendance. “We are honored and excited to host the de la Torre brothers’ retrospective at the Rubin Center,” says Director Kerry Doyle. “Their work is a complex reflection of contemporary visual culture at the border, which manages to be both playful and sophisticated in equal measure. The exhibition is a great platform to engage visitors both at our campus location and in our new site in San Elizario at the Gaspar Enriquez Cultural Center. In particular, building upon our longstanding relationship with the Smithsonian, we are grateful to collaborate as they expand upon their work of connecting to communities across the country in advance of opening the National Museum of the American Latino.” Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, and now living both in San Diego and Baja California, Einar and Jamex de la Torre have navigated life on both sides of the border since their youth and have inherited their own unique vision of the Latinx experience and American culture. Their work is visually complex and infused with humorous elements exploring art, history, and material culture. Working with glass, resin, lenticular prints and found objects, the brothers create work inspired by Mexican folk art, popular culture, religious imagery, consumer culture, and mythology. Many elements of the exhibition, including the title and curatorial framework, try to echo the creative process of the artists, serving as an allegory of their intellectual pursuits, their technical use of materials and media, and their use of wordplay and poetic riddles. Einar said he and Jamex don’t exactly consider themselves glass artists, but treat glass as one component in their three-dimensional collages. The result, he said, speaks volumes about the Latino experience in America. “The complexities of the immigrant experience and contradicting bicultural identities, as well as our current life and practice on both sides of the border, really propel our narrative and aesthetics,” Einar said. Collidoscope will be the inaugural exhibition for the Gaspar Enriquez Cultural Center. The Center will be housed in Mi Casa Gallery, a historic adobe building lovingly restored by the artist, and stewarded by the Rubin Center in perpetuity. Following Gaspar’s example, the project will inspire future generations of artists and activists to engage in meaningful ways with the San Elizario community through art and culture. The GECC will become a site for UTEP student-led programming and outreach, providing sites for hands-on learning in studio arts, museum studies, art education, public history, and environmental humanities. Over the next five years, the Rubin Center and College of Liberal Arts collaborators will launch a series of exhibitions, youth projects, and outreach initiatives in dialogue with the San Elizario community. Collidoscope first premiered at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum, affectionately known as The Cheech, during its grand opening in Riverside, California on June 18, 2022. The touring exhibition was organized and is managed by Melissa Richardson Banks of CauseConnect. After closing in El Paso, the exhibition continues to Tulsa, Oklahoma; Corning, New York; Sacramento, California; and Charlotte, North Carolina. It was previously shown in Corpus Christi, Texas. SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, October 19 - EXHIBITION OPENING at the Rubin Center 4:00 PM - Gallery walkthrough with the artists 5:00 PM - Public opening reception Friday, October 20 - ARTIST TALK AND DOCUMENTARY SCREENING 10:00 AM at the Rubin Center Saturday, October 21 - EXHIBITION OPENING at Mi Casa Gallery in San Elizario, Texas 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM - Free and open to the public, the exhibition will be on view in its San Elizario location. Saturday, October 21 - PRIVATE DINNER WITH DE LA TORRE BROTHERS & GASPAR ENRIQUEZ 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM - A dinner to celebrate Collidoscope and the founding of the Gaspar Enriquez Cultural Center, in San Elizario, Texas. Tickets are limited and can be reserved here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/collidoscope-de-la-torre-brothers-retroperspective-tickets-723122106687?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

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