Carlos Rosales-Silva (BFA in Studio Art, 2010), unveiled new work at Artpace's artist-in-residence spring exhibition. Rosales-Silva exhibits with two other artists in Artpace's galleries: Kapwani Kiwanga from Paris and Rafa Esparza from Los Angeles.
The residency program at Artpace provides three artists - one from Texas, one from the broader U.S. and one from outside the country - with studio space, a stipend, a place to live and the support of Artpace staff so they can create. Previous residents include UT Sculpture professor and recent Guggenheim fellowship recipient Margo Sawyer.
This spring, the exhibition was curated by independent curator and critic Risa Puleo, who selected Austin artist Carlos Rosales-Silva as the Texas-based artist. A San Antonio native, Puleo says her own art education was largely influenced by Artpace and she wanted this residency to include artists who were interested in creating community with one another.
During his residency, Rosales-Silva spent time on the terrace at the Central Library and says the architecture and community there helped inspire some of his work. His pieces typically draw from the oral histories of Mexican and indigenous peoples, post-colonial historical texts and spaces that are safe and inclusive for people of color. His most recent output reclaims the colors and forms that have long been (ab)used to create oppressive stereotypes of Mexican and Native American peoples. Draining direct references, symbols, and figures allow him to study the color and form of his identity while withholding easily exploitable imagery. Rosales-Silva has exhibited throughout Texas, and in Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Chicago, Kansas City, and Brooklyn and was most recently an artist in residence at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, NY.
The exhibition is on view through May 13, 2018.