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Revolving Catastrophes and Myths of a Beautiful World
by Cristóbal Gracia
Curated by Leslie Moody Castro
August 25th through November 3rd, 2018
August 25th through November 3rd, 2018
Revolving Catastrophes and Myths of a Beautiful World is a site-specific exhibition by Cristóbal Gracia (Mexico City), curated by Leslie Moody Castro (Mexico City/Austin). This exhibition takes the endearing eccentricities of Galveston Island, its history of devastating storms, rebuilding, tourism, and immigration to investigate the cycles of catastrophe and the subsequent myths created as coping mechanisms.
Here the history of disasters can also be translated into larger and more prevalent social issues as one catastrophe instigates a cycle of smaller revolutions that define our collective histories.
The work of Cristóbal Gracia (Mexico City) begins vis-a-vis research and the connectivity of historical events and their impact on the social and cultural present. Mixed with references from science fiction, irony, violence, and a touch of humor, Gracia challenges the construction of the present reality which has been built and ruled by ideologies and power structures imposed over time. As a multidisciplinary artist, he employs a variety of techniques and mediums, all of which illustrate the profound research and investigation each project requires. As an artist, Gracia is concerned with such concepts as the public space, ideas of the monumental and its political, historical, and social implications together with the mechanisms of control through economic, political, and cultural lense. Gracia also takes tropes and methods from mass media and the entertainment industry which are used as a universal tool to dominate ideologies..
Leslie Moody Castro (Mexico City/Austin) is an independent curator and writer whose practice is based on itinerancy and collaboration. Moody Castro works with artists to produce projects and exhibitions that are in dialogue with an audience and an open invitation to communicate within the space itself. Moody Castro studied Museum Education and Museum Studies at the University of Texas at Austin (MA, 2010), and graduated from DePaul University (BA, 2004). She has been awarded two National Endowment of the Arts Grants (2016; 2017) and is currently the inaugural curator in residence at the Galveston Artist Residency.
Here the history of disasters can also be translated into larger and more prevalent social issues as one catastrophe instigates a cycle of smaller revolutions that define our collective histories.
The work of Cristóbal Gracia (Mexico City) begins vis-a-vis research and the connectivity of historical events and their impact on the social and cultural present. Mixed with references from science fiction, irony, violence, and a touch of humor, Gracia challenges the construction of the present reality which has been built and ruled by ideologies and power structures imposed over time. As a multidisciplinary artist, he employs a variety of techniques and mediums, all of which illustrate the profound research and investigation each project requires. As an artist, Gracia is concerned with such concepts as the public space, ideas of the monumental and its political, historical, and social implications together with the mechanisms of control through economic, political, and cultural lense. Gracia also takes tropes and methods from mass media and the entertainment industry which are used as a universal tool to dominate ideologies..
Leslie Moody Castro (Mexico City/Austin) is an independent curator and writer whose practice is based on itinerancy and collaboration. Moody Castro works with artists to produce projects and exhibitions that are in dialogue with an audience and an open invitation to communicate within the space itself. Moody Castro studied Museum Education and Museum Studies at the University of Texas at Austin (MA, 2010), and graduated from DePaul University (BA, 2004). She has been awarded two National Endowment of the Arts Grants (2016; 2017) and is currently the inaugural curator in residence at the Galveston Artist Residency.