San Anto: Pride of the Southside/En El Mero Hueso features collaborative and individual work by San Antonio artists Vincent Valdez and Alex Rubio. The exhibition is an embodiment of the Museo Alameda’s mission to tell the story of Latino experience in America. It explores the early San Antonio relationship between Alex Rubio as mentor and Vincent Valdez as student and tracks the pair’s growth as artists. Drawings, paintings, sculpture, ephemera, and a scholarly essay by guest curator Benito Huerta combine to document their work together and as distinct artists within the larger American art scene.

Though Valdez and Rubio follow stylistically diverse paths, both draw upon contemporary Latino culture to create visual narratives rich in symbolism and spiritual imagery. Monumental paintings, drawings and sculpture by Valdez explore the universal influence of popular culture on self-identity, archetypal conflicts and personal experiences through the use of family surrogates from his Southside community. Rubio’s drawings and large scale canvases depict people, iconic images and Westside community environments filtered through personal memories rooted in San Antonio’s Chicano heritage.

Clearly, the journey for both artists is just beginning, with each still developing his distinctive style and complex imagery. They are transcending the whole dogma of Chicano Art as a stereotype and are creating a unique personal vision of America. It will be exciting to be part of the ride and witness their evolution in the upcoming years.