STEPHENVILLE, Texas — The Department of Visual Arts and Design at Tarleton State University will present the works of artist Giovanni Valderas Oct. 3-24 in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center Gallery.
The exhibition, “Middle Class Militant,” features three-dimensional mixed-media works created from indigenous fabrics, acrylic paint, duct tape, drawings and wood. Many of his pieces include “Spanglish” idioms whose context is lost through translation, seeking to open discussions of how cultures deemed “foreign” become misunderstood by society.
Heavily influenced by Mexican politician José Vasconcelos, as well as Mexican muralism, Valderas addresses elements from his Guatemalan, Mexican and American ancestry. The artist uses deconstructed elements of the piñata to invite underrepresented audiences to reflect and examine their circumstances and challenge power structures within his community.
“I consider my artwork a social practice that seeks to include all through art placement and language,” he said.
Valderas is an assistant professor of drawing and painting at Texas Woman’s University. His works have been featured in “New American Paintings,” “Impossible Geometries” and “Texas Biennial 2013.”
He also served as an appointee by the Dallas City Council as vice chair of the Cultural Affairs Commission. Valderas strives to reach out to his Latin community through public guerilla installations in his hometown of Dallas.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.