Jaime Mendoza @ Antena

“Under the Influence”
New Works by: Jaime Mendoza

Also invited artist Josue Pellot

Opening Reception August 29, 2008 from 6:00 pm 10:00 pm
August 29, 2008 – September 27, 2008

Music by *DJ Oto-Matic

The exploration of the “self” is a modest one; in its normal use, it is not even quite a word, but something that makes an ordinary object pronoun into a reflexive one: “her” into “herself,” “him” into “himself” and “it” into “itself. (1)

“Under the Influence” continues the exploration of the politics involved in contemporary urban art culture. This series of photographs, paintings, and mixed media objects examine the place of the artist within a social context. In his position as social commentator, the artist is subject to cultural criticism. This dynamic becomes a cyclical relationship: the artist responds to criticism by producing more work which is then subjected to further criticism. This series of self-portraits depicts the artist as “himself” as a participant in this symbiotic relationship.

Most recently Mendoza was awarded a grant from the National Performance Network/Visual Arts Network to participate in a one week residency at Galería De La Raza’s. The name of the exhibit, “No Distance Is More Awesome” was part of PICTURING IMMIGRATION, a year-long series of exhibitions and public events examining immigration from Latino perspectives. Mendoza earned his earned his Master of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2002.

(1) Macmillan Encyclopedia of Philosophy (1998)

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