Enrique Chagoya: Borderlandia

September 21, 2007 – January 6, 2008
Anna K. Meredith Gallery and Print Gallery, Art Center on Grand

This 25-year survey exhibition presents a “world of cultural hybrids and collisions” in the work of Mexican-born, San Francisco artist Enrique Chagoya. The artist taps Mexico’s complex history, international politics, world religions, art history, and popular culture in this exhibition comprising more than 70 lively paintings, mixed-media codices (accordion-folded books), large-scale charcoal and pastel drawings, and numerous prints. Drawing on the rich tradition of Mexican political prints, Chagoya’s intelligent and witty narratives satirize and, at times, celebrate the cultural and psychological consequences of more than 500 years of contact and influence between worlds.

A 100–page, full–color, bilingual–English and Spanish–catalogue spanning Chagoya’s career will accompany the exhibition and will include a foreword by Art Center Director Jeff Fleming; essays by Patricia Hickson, Daniela Pérez, and Robert Storr; a catalogue of works in the exhibition; an artist’s chronology; and selected exhibition history. The catalogue will be available for purchase in the Art Center’s Museum Shop.

This exhibition is organized by Patricia Hickson, curator and downtown gallery manager, and will be presented at Berkeley Art Museum from February 13 to May 18, 2008 and the Palm Springs Art Museum from September 12 to December 7, 2008.

Enrique Chagoya: Borderlandia is sponsored by the Lannan Foundation and Principal Financial Group Foundation, Inc.; additional support is provided by The Jacqueline & Myron Blank Exhibition Fund. Support for the catalogue has been provided by George Adams Gallery, Gallery Paule Anglim, and Stanford University.

Enrique Chagoya: Borderlandia Related Programs

Gallery Talk

Patricia Hickson, curator and downtown gallery manager
Thursday, November 15, 6:30 pm
FREE admission

During this talk, Hickson will discuss the complex imagery of Chagoya’s work and welcome questions from the audience.

Guided Tours

We are pleased to offer guided tours of Enrique Chagoya: Borderlandia and the permanent collections. We can accommodate groups from two to 100 people. It’s a perfect activity for a family, work team, or social group.

Please schedule at least three weeks in advance. Contact Jennifer Cooley at 515.271.0328 or jcooley@desmoinesartcenter.org.

Adult Group Tours:
$2 per person / $20 minimum fee
Student Tours: Free