Undercurrents: Vincent Valdez

July 11-Dec 1, 2024

Undercurrents marks a decade since Vincent Valdez’s last exhibition in San Antonio. His series, The Strangest Fruit, opened at Artpace in 2014. This selection of work departs from a singular focus on Valdez’s oeuvre, instead fostering a dialogue between artistic generations. By exhibiting alongside artists who have profoundly impacted his early trajectory, Valdez acknowledges the vital role of artistic lineage in his creative practice. This approach gives viewers an intimate look into Valdez’s personal art historical canon which features a heavy emphasis on protest imagery, artists who subvert political power structures, and the rich tapestry of Chicano art of his home state.   

Vincent Valdez: In Memory

Artwork by Vincent Valdez
Texts by Denise Markonish and Rufus Wainwright
Conversation with Roberto Tejada

Vincent Valdez blends large, representational paintings—the scale of which recall Western traditions of history painting as well as mural painting and cinema—with contemporary subject matter. Vincent Valdez: In Memory is the first book-length study of his work, which focuses on subjects that explore his observations and experience of life in the twenty-first century. The results are powerful images of American identity that confront injustice and inequity while imbuing his subjects with empathy and humanity. Valdez states, “My aim is to incite public remembrance and to impede distorted realities that I witness, like the social amnesia that surrounds us all.” Recognized for his monumental portrayal of the contemporary figure, his drawn and painted subjects remark on a universal struggle within various socio-political arenas and eras.