August 1-31, 2003
Masked Marvels: Las Super Luchas (at La Peña Gallery)
Loteria 2003 (at Las Manitas Avenue Cafe, 211 Congress Ave)
by Xavier Garza
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"From the flour tortillas filled with rice and beans that I ate as a boy to the songs by Pedro Infante that my grandmother sang to me as she rocked me to sleep, I paint what I know and have experienced in my life. Going to Mexican wrestling in Reynosa and having a firm beleif in God while enduring the tedious rituals of being a Roman Catholic, by birth if not practice, are all elements that make up the images and inspirations for all of my work as an artist."
-Xavier Garza
La Peņa is pround to announce "Lucha Libre", an exhibit that depicts infamous Mexican wrestlers through the eyes of Tex-Mex border artist Xavier Garza. He is currently working on "Mexican-American", a series that focuses on television icons and their Mexican-American counterparts. The series is a statement on the impact television has on today's popular culture. Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, Xavier Garza has made San Antonio his home since August 2000. Receiving his BFA at UT Edinburg in 1994, he has exhibited his work in various venues throughout Texas. He has produced four collections of work: Los Tesoros, Las Limosnas, Los Cucuis: Hispanic Folklore of South Texas, and now Masked Marvels: Las Super Luchas. Garza is also a prolific storyteller, writer, and storyteller. His first solo book "Cucuis: Spooky Tales from Tejas" is slated for publication in early 2005 from Arte Publico Press. He is also producing two more books, "Jesus Wore a Zoot Suit: The Devine Barrio Apparition" and "Adventures in Mexican Wrestling". A portion of "Jesus Wore a Zoot Suit: The Devine Barrio Apparition" is slated for publication by Bilingual Review Press in the "Bilingual Review/La Revista Bilingue".