Exhibition Reception + Artist Talk
Friday, October 18 • 5:00PM • Old Masonic Hall
Exhibitions
Santos y Simbolismo: Telles, Palma, Vera Ovalle
October 18 – November 17, 2024
All Ages, ADA Accessible
Santos y Simbolismo: Vicente Telles, Alberto Palma and Santiago Vera Ovalle presents interconnected visual narratives about the migration of people, ideas, and beliefs through mixed media artwork. Featuring three artists, the exhibition explores identity, structural violence, empathy, and hope.
Vicente Telles, a New Mexican santero, or artist who paints saints on carved wood, blends Indigenous and Spanish Catholic imagery to address contemporary issues like immigration and the struggles of migrant workers. His retablos often depict the holy family as migrants crossing the Mexico/US border.
Santiago Vera Ovalle creates acrylic and encaustic paintings with an ecological focus, symbolizing solidarity between humans and nature against industrial and political forces.
Alberto Palma uses surreal imagery to comment on the normalization of violence and political absurdities, creating a sense of unease through his realistic yet dissonant compositions.
En español
Para todas las edades, accesible para personas con discapacidad (ADA)
Santos y Simbolismo: Vicente Telles, Alberto Palma y Santiago Vera Ovalle presentan narrativas visuales interconectadas sobre la migración de personas, ideas y creencias a través de obras de arte en medios mixtos. Con la participación de tres artistas, la exhibición explora temas de identidad, violencia estructural, empatía y esperanza.
Vicente Telles, un santero de Nuevo México, o artista que pinta santos en madera tallada, mezcla imágenes indígenas y del catolicismo español para abordar temas contemporáneos como la inmigración y las luchas de los trabajadores migrantes. Sus retablos a menudo representan a la sagrada familia como migrantes cruzando la frontera entre México y Estados Unidos.
Santiago Vera Ovalle crea pinturas en acrílico y encáustica con un enfoque ecológico, simbolizando la solidaridad entre los humanos y la naturaleza frente a las fuerzas industriales y políticas.
Alberto Palma utiliza imágenes surrealistas para comentar sobre la normalización de la violencia y las absurdidades políticas, creando una sensación de inquietud a través de sus composiciones realistas pero disonantes.
Recepción de la Exposición + Hablan los Artistas
Viernes, 18 De Octubre • 5:00PM • Antiguo Salón Masónico
About the artists
Vicente Telles
Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Vicente Telles is a Santero (painter of saints) and Cultural Iconographer who is driven by the desire to honor the culture and traditions of his native New Mexico. He began painting traditional retablos (saints on carved wood) using natural pigments created from clays and minerals on homemade gesso, which is then sealed with pinon sap varnish.
Always looking for ways to push boundaries, his style has evolved to include various reinterpretations of traditional Catholic and cultural iconography. His experimentation with different mediums such as textiles, high quality paper(s), and found and repurposed materials are used to create more contemporary pieces.
Visual and written history have given Telles the necessary understanding to tell his own story of the traditional New Mexican retablo in contemporary themes with color, materials and techniques. Telles shares “I create work to solidify my relationship with culture, heritage and identity. I continuously try to educate myself in order to contribute to the constantly developing traditions. A strong base in the traditional methods of retablo making has allowed me to move my work forward, using contemporary and traditional materials and iconographic experiences.”
Telles’ work can be found in private and public collections both in the United States and abroad.
Alberto palma
Born in san pedro sula, honduras
Lives and works in silverthorne, colorado
Alberto Palma studied art at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes where he obtained a BA in plastic arts in 2007. During his studies, Palma explored a broad range of artistic methods and mediums, including drawing, ceramics, wood, clay, stone sculpture, engraving, silk print and painting.
Palma first came to the United States in 2018 as an artist in residence in New London, Connecticut, and it was during this time that he began to actively exhibit his work locally and nationally in the US, as well as back home in Honduras. He considers his work “to be a search and a constant exploration of social and political language to create, reflect and debate as a means of improvement as human beings and as a global society
santiago vera ovalle
Born in La Palma, Chiapas, Mexico
Lives and works in dillon, colorado
Santiago Vera Ovalle is a skilled artist who creates paintings and linocuts that reflect his passion for drawing, architecture, and sculpture. His dedication to art led him to the capital of Chiapas, Mexico, where he studied Visual Arts at the Universidad de Ciencias y Artes de Chiapas (UNICACH), completing his studies in 2014. In 2018, he earned a diploma in research and creation methodology.
Ovalle has showcased his work in various cities across Chiapas, including San Cristobal de las Casas, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, and Comitán de Dominguez, as well as in the United States. His murals often highlight ecological and social themes.
He has participated in numerous art and culture festivals and has taught painting and drawing to people of all ages. From 2020-2023, Ovalle worked as a cultural promoter at the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples and Afro-Mexicans (INPI). In 2024, he moved to the United States to further his artistic career and explore new opportunities.
Exhibición