Jamex de la Torre

(Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Culver City, CA (Los Angeles) 6-10-08)Einar & Jamex de la Torre The multiplicity of voices in the de la Torre brother’s work begins with their Mexican background, a combination of the Native Mexican, Spanish and Aztec ancestry, resulting in a rich Mestizo* hybrid.(* "Spanish term" that was used in the Spanish Empire to designate people of mixed European (Spanish) and Amerindian ancestry living in the region of Latin America.” ) The artists also draw upon their time spent in the United States after immigrating as adolescents. This diverse upbringing lets them draw from multiple sources of inspiration as Mexican, American, and as literal border artists, living and working in San Diego, CA.The show titled, "New Colonies in the New World," (Koplin Del Rio Gallery, January 12 – February 23, 2008) is a reference to new methods of colonizing through technology and information, such as Industrial China’s conquest of the ‘dollar stores’ throughout the world or the virtual colonies that develop and thrive within the subculture of the World Wide Web. The de la Torre’s consume and locally reinterpret this information and material culture manufactured in far away places.Each sculpture is an explosive synthesis of the different cultural influences, mythologies and relics of ancient Latin America, as well as, the artifacts of contemporary consumer cultures and religions. This collaborative body of work consists of both freestanding pedestal and wall mounted pieces comprised of masterful blown glass elements, depicting various Mayan, Aztec and religious iconography, juxtaposed with the historic icons are scores of trinkets and objects scoured from dollar stores around the world. Einar and Jamex de la Torre were born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1960 and 1963 respectively. Einar and Jamex both studied at California State University at Long Beach and taught at the prestigious Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington. The Brother’s works are in numerous public and private collections and have been exhibited around the world at venues including: The Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art in Tacoma, WA, California State University In Fullerton, Los Angeles, the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard, CA, the Los Angeles Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego. BORN: Guadalajara, Mexico 1960 & 1963 EDUCATION: Jamex De La Torre: 1984 BFA, California State University, Long Beach, CA 1980 Pilchuck School of Glass Einar De La Torre : 1980 California State University, Long Beach, CA AWARDS: Einar & Jamex de la Torre: 1984 Scholarship, Pilchuck School of Glass Jamex de la Torre: 1977 Scholarship, California State University, Long Beach, CA SOLO EXHIBITIONS: 2005 “Folkloric Acid: Blown Glass and Mixed Media Sculpture”, Koplin Del Rio Gallery, West Hollywood, CA “End of Empire”, California State University, Fullerton, CA “Intersecting Time and Space”, Museum of Glass, International Center for Contemporary Art, Tacoma, WA “Intersecting Time and Space”, Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2004 “New Sculptures”, American Museum of Glass, Millville, NJ. “Super Grotesque Beauty” , Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2003 “Eurovirus”, Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2002 “Neorelics, The Spanglish Period”, The Salina Art Center, Salina, KS “Neorelics, The Spanglish Period”, Museum of Contemporary Art of Fort Collins, CO “Neoreliquias” Museo de las Artes, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico “Angry Gods”, Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2001 “Neorelics”, Porter Troupe Gallery, San Diego, CA “Neorelics”, Snyderman Gallery, Philadelphia, PA “Anacronistas”, Grand Arts, Kansas City, MO “Anacronistas”, Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX 2000 “The Mexican Problem”, Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, CA “Ácido Folclórico, en Retrosperspectiva”, Centro Cultural Tijuana, Tijuana, Mexico 1999 “Nouveau Riche”, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ. “La Conquista”, Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, CA “Mesomodern”, William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA “Oxymodern”, Porter Troupe Gallery, San Diego, CA “El Niño's Wake”, San José Center for Latino Arts, San José, CA “Arte Frontera”, Snyderman Gallery, Philadelphia, PA 1998 “Exhibition for the Intersections Program of the University of Hawaii”, Hopper Gallery, Honolulu, HI “11:58 (PMAD)”, Robert Lehman Gallery, Brooklyn, NY “Ojito Tapatio”, Mexican Fine Arts Museum, Chicago, IL 1997 “The Marlboro Man & The Virgin”, Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, CA “God's Country”, William Traver Gallery, Settle, WA “El Niño”, El Centro Cultural de Tijuana, Tijuana, México. “Borderline Glass”, Arizona State University Museum, Tempe, AZ “The Glass Frontera”, Joanne Rapp Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ 1996 “Folkloric Acid : The Resurrection”, MACLA, San José, CA “Folkloric Acid : The Resurrection”, Daniel Saxon Gallery, Los Angeles, CA “El Chamuco”, SOFA Miami, Snyderman Gallery, Miami, FL “El Chamuco”, Snyderman Gallery, Philadelphia, PA “Folkloric Acid”, San José Center for Latino Art, MACLA, San José, CA. 1994 “Sacrilege in Vitro”, Julie Rico Gallery, Santa Monica, CA “Figuras y Alegoria”, Galleria de la Raza, San Fransisco, CA GROUP EXHIBITIONS: 2005 “Insatiable Desires”, Fisher Gallery Museum, USC, Los Angeles, CA 2004 “Group exhibition”, Keller Estate Winery, Petaluma, “Group exhibition”, District Arts Gallery, Birmingham, MI “Going Global”, Carnegie Museum, Oxnard, CA “Group exhibition” District Arts Gallery, Birmingham, MI. “Home/Land”, Pittsburg Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburg, PA “Narcochic Narcochoc” , Musée International des Arts Modestes, Séte, France “Art from the Americas”, Santa Barbara Art Museum, Santa Barbara, CA “LARVA”, Centro Cultural Tijuana, Tijuana, México. 2003 “Home/Land”, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston, TX “Mexico Illuminated”, Albright College, Reding Museum, Reding, PA “Ultra baroque- Aspects of Post Latin American Art”, San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art, San Fransisco, CA “Ultra baroque- Aspects of Post Latin American Art”, The Miami Art Museum, Miami, FL “Ultra baroque- Aspects of Post Latin American Art”, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN 2002 “Assemblage” William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA “Diagnósticos Urbanos”, Centro Cultural Tijuana, Tijuana, Mexico 2002 “III Salon del Vidrio”, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Caracas , Caracas, Venezuela “Ultra baroque- Aspects of Post Latin American Art”, Museo de Arte de la Ciudad de Querétaro, Qerétaro, México 2001 “2001: a Glass Odyssey- Art on the Cutting Edge”, A.N. Bush Gallery, The Salem Art Association, Salem, OR “VII Salón de Arte BBVA Bancomer”, Museo de Arte Moderno, México City, Mexico “Ultra baroque- Aspects of Post Latin American Art”, Museum of Fort Worth, Fort Worth, TX 2000 “Reflections of Time and Place: Latin American Still Life in the 20th Century”, Museo del Barrio, New York, NY “Off Broadway”, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA “7th International Shoebox Sculpture Exhibition”, University of Hawaii Art Gallery, Honolulu, HI “ES 2000”, Centro Cultural Tijuana, Tijuana, México “Millennium Glass-an international survey of studio glass”, Kentucky Art & Craft Gallery, Louisville, KY “Fast, Five Years At Grand Arts”, Grand Arts, Kansas City, MO “Can't Match Your Swatch”, Lisa Sette Gallery Scottsdale, AZ “Spring 2000 Group Exhibition”, Porter Troupe Gallery, San Diego, CA “Ultra baroque- Aspects of Post Latin American Art”, Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, CA “Frágil: Arte en Vidrio”, Monterrey Glass Museum, Monterrey, México 1999 “Cuarta Bienal Monterrey”, Museo de Monterrey, Monterrey, México “The Labyrinth of Multitude”, Luckman Fine Arts Center Gallery, California State University, Los Angeles, CA “Glass Art Document”, Ezra Glass Studio, Japan. “Glass Art Document”, Kanazu Forest of Creation Museum, Japan “Reflections of Time and Place: Latin American Still Life in the 20th Century”, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY “California Blend: Tradition and Change”, Millaed Sheets Gallery, Los Angeles County Fair, Los Angeles, CA “Crossing Boundaries”, Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA “Reflejo: El Cuerpo Eróico y Místico”, La Casa de la Cultura, Tijuana, México “Formerly Known as Something Else”, Lisa Sette Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ “Cultural Influences In Craft”, Penland Gallery, Penland, NC “La Guadalupana”, Tacoma Art Museum, Tacoma, WA 1997 “Reconstructing Ritual”, San Diego State University Art Gallery, San Diego, CA “Monique Knowlton Returns”, Monique Knowlton Gallery, New York, NY 1996 “Group Exhibition”, Galería la Esquina, Ensenada, Mexico “Group Exhibition”, Lollapalooza Music Festival, US tour “Dia de los Muertos”, Centro Cultural de la Raza, San Diego, CA “Día de los Muertos”, Mexican Fine Arts Center, Chicago, IL 1995 “All Americans”, Porter Troupe Gallery, San Diego, CA 1995 “La Curva”, City Gallery, Ensenada, Mexico 1994 “Return of the Dead”, South Bay Museum, Long Beach, CA “Glass of the Pacific Rim”, San Fransisco State University, San Fransisco, CA 1991 Contemporary Visions of the Virgin of Guadalupe”, Downey Museum of Art, Downey, CA 1990 “Made in California- Art Image and Identity”, 1990-2000, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA “Latino Art Exhibit 1990”, Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Ana, CA 1988 “Escape from Tradition”, Alonso-Sullivan Gallery, Seattle, WA 1987 “Masks”, Oregon School of Arts and Crafts, Portland, OR “The Human Form” , Galleria Mesa, Phoenix, AZ “Eroticism”, Alonso-Sullivan Gallery, Seattle, WA “The Nude National”, Wedge Gallery, Rochester, NY “Arriba Artistas”, Fort Worth Gallery, Fort Worth, TX “Arriba Artistas”, Exconvento del Carmen, Guadalajara, Mexico “Dimensional Design”, Designs Recycled Gallery, Fullerton, CA 1985 “Open Juried Exhibition”, Long Beach Art Assoc., Long Beach, CA “Shrines and Altars”, John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan, WI “Glass Artist”, Redding Museum of Art, Redding, CA 1984 “Juried Sculpture Exhibition”, Long Beach Art Assoc., Long Beach, CA PUBLIC COLLECTIONS: Caltrans District 11, New Campus Facility, San Diego, CA City of Phoenix Metro Valley Rail, Encanto-Central Station, Phoenix, AZ Plaza San Jose, San Jose, CA San Diego New Main Public Library, San Diego, San Diego Harbor, San Diego, CA Einar and Jamex de la Torre are brothers who work collaboratively in their glass art. They are Mexican American and draw their imagery from the historical and popular cultures in each country. In fact the combining of the images draws the viewers attention to the meanings of those objects/images. Here the form is that of an ancient Aztec calendar but instead of the image of an Aztec god in the center there is a pig-like face. This is combined with images from the Catholic church, toys, dollar symbols and framed ballet dancers. The calendar as a time reference perhaps implies that this mélange of images is a representation of current culture.for HOT COLOR cool glass 5/08 Anne Gochenour