Upcoming Exhibitions

CATHERINE AND ROBERT PALMER GALLERY

ANA MARÍA HERRERA: LAYERED MEMORIES

January 11–March 14, 2025

Opening Reception: Saturday, January 11, 5–8 PM, during the Barrio Art Crawl

Ana María Herrera’s work explores identity, displacement, and cultural coexistence through an intricate blend of found objects and diverse materials, such as wood, glass, metal, and fabric. Her compositions reflect the ephemeral nature of existence, particularly in the border region, where the complexities of migration and cultural negotiation are ever-present. By incorporating photographs, textiles, and three-dimensional elements, Herrera examines the emotional and physical boundaries that shape personal and collective identities, addressing themes of vulnerability, resistance, and resilience within the contemporary sociopolitical landscape. 

Herrera engages with layered complexities of human existence, crafting assemblages that challenge traditional notions of representation and foster dialogue about the realities of border life. Using windows and frames as both physical and symbolic elements, Herrera invites viewers to contemplate the tension between visibility and obscurity. These pieces serve as portals into narratives of migration and belonging while subtly addressing issues of surveillance and power dynamics. This exhibition encourages a critical examination of the intersection of culture, history, and memory in the shaping of individual and collective identities in an increasingly interconnected world. 

Las obras de Ana María Herrera exploran la identidad, el desplazamiento y la coexistencia cultural a través de una mezcla de objetos encontrados y materiales diversos como la madera, el vidrio, el metal y la tela. Sus composiciones reflejan la naturaleza efímera de la existencia, especialmente en la región fronteriza, donde las complejidades de la migración y la negociación cultural están siempre presentes. Mediante la incorporación de fotografías, tejidos y elementos tridimensionales, Herrera examina los límites emocionales y físicos que conforman las identidades personales y colectivas, abordando temas de vulnerabilidad, resistencia y resiliencia en el panorama sociopolítico contemporáneo.  

Al abordar las complejidades de la existencia humana, sus montajes desafían las nociones tradicionales de representación y fomentan el diálogo sobre las realidades de la vida fronteriza. Utilizando ventanas y marcos como elementos físicos y simbólicos, Herrera invita al espectador a contemplar la tensión entre visibilidad y oscuridad. Estas piezas sirven como portales a narrativas de migración y pertenencia, al tiempo que abordan sutilmente cuestiones de vigilancia y dinámicas de poder en los espacios fronterizos.  Esta exposición invita a un examen crítico de cómo la cultura, la historia y la memoria se entrecruzan para dar forma a las identidades individuales y colectivas en un mundo cada vez más interconectado. 

Ana María Herrera—Artist Statement 

In my assemblage art, I draw from the aged and textured materials of the past—pieces like rusted metal chains, weathered wood from light poles, bicycle wheels, pressure gauges, and electrical meters. These objects, marked by time and mystery, serve as silent witnesses to countless stories, histories, and transformations, much like the wisdom of an elder etched by years of experience. I am drawn to their deep tones and weathered surfaces, each item resonating with lives lived and “time stories” I may never fully understand. This uncertainty around their origins only enhances my appreciation, allowing me to create without the constraints of their original purpose and instead invite viewers to interpret their own narratives within these materials. 

In each assemblage, I work to honor the age, history, and hidden memories within these objects. Through layering and reimagining, I hope to give them new life, encouraging viewers to look closely, question, and connect with the unseen past that each object holds. Ultimately, my art celebrates the beauty in things long overlooked, encouraging a reverence for the history that surrounds us and inviting curiosity about what once was. 

JOSEPH CLAYES III GALLERY & CAROLYN YORSTON-WELLCOME ROTUNDA GALLERY

JULIAN TAN: END TRANCES

January 18–April 19, 2025

Opening Reception: Friday, January 17, 5:30–7:30 PM

Gallery Walk-through: Saturday, January 18, 11 AM, free

Artist Talk: Thursday, February 27, 6 PM reception; 6:30 PM lecture, $15/ 20/ 5

“The gaze is ours to give, and the journey is ours to take.”—Chat GPT analyzing End Trances

For his exhibition End Trances, Los Angeles–based painter Julian Tan has created a body of work centered on a blinding, mysterious light in the sky and humans’ moments of wonder, panic, and solace as they witness it. In creating these paintings, Tan was thinking about recent trends including the use of AI in art making, the vastness of knowledge at our fingertips in a world dominated by instant information, public fascination with unidentified aerial phenomena, and a pervasive sense of being at the precipice of something—whether the end of the world or a cultural shift we have yet to understand as a society. The unknown light offers us all a glimpse of our own humanity, a sublime focal point in each work that remains open to interpretation.

Julian’s work reflects his personal experiences and his fascination with the intersection of history, politics, and cultural change. As a second-generation Chinese American, the tension of not fully belonging has given him a unique perspective, one that informs his exploration of identity, culture, and the way people navigate a rapidly changing world. His paintings aim to capture the present while reflecting on the past and imagining the future, offering a lens through which viewers can connect with shared experiences and universal questions.

In his BFA studies at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, Tan immersed himself in foundational principles of design, art history, and critical theory, setting the stage for a serious pursuit of painting and a life as an artist. While the program introduced him to conceptual thinking and problem-solving, it was the painters in the program and the drawing classes that left the biggest impression on him.

He went on to earn an MFA at the University of California, Davis, dedicating himself to refining his techniques and developing an original visual language. Tan spent most of his time at UC Davis deeply immersed in understanding and creating abstract painting and sculpture. While he loved earnestly creating and looking at abstraction, he began questioning whether it could express the ideas he wanted to communicate. This challenge led him to rethink his approach and focus on work that carried more personal and cultural meaning. Painting became a way for him to say things he felt couldn’t be said with words. Now, working from his own studio, Tan is propelled by questions of the future, universal truths, and a desire to create works that capture a “mirror’s gaze of the near future.” Alongside his wife and dogs, Oso and Sumi, he continues his search for expression that resonates with universal truths about the human experience.

CATHERINE AND ROBERT PALMER GALLERY

YANG JIANG

March 22–May 10, 2025

Opening Reception: Saturday, March 22, 5–8 PM, during the Barrio Art Crawl

Check back soon for more information!

JOSEPH CLAYES III GALLERY & CAROLYN YORSTON-WELLCOME ROTUNDA GALLERY

HARVEST & GATHER

April 26–July 19, 2025

Opening Reception: Friday, April 25, 6:30–8:30 PM

Check back soon for more information!