16
MIXED MEDIUM
AUG. 10�17, 2022
THE ARTS AROUND
EASTERN OREGON
Work of Enrique Chagoya on exhibit now at PCA
Go! staff
PENDLETON — Pendleton Center for the Arts has
opened what Director Roberta Lavadour describes as
“its most ambitious showing” featuring a solo exhibition
by acclaimed Mexican artist Enrique Chagoya.
“With the support of Jordan Schnitzer and his family
foundation, the Pendleton Center for the Arts has carved
out a reputation for punching above its weight when it
comes to mounting major exhibitions in its East Orego-
nian Gallery,” Lavadour said.
Previous exhibits features Chuck Close, Louise Bour-
geois, Ellsworth Kelly and Kara Walker. Chagoya’s exhibit
opened Aug. 5 and runs through Oct. 6.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Enrique Chagoya/Contributed Image
Born and raised in Mexico City, Chagoya studied
political economics at Universidad Nacional Autónoma
de México in the 1960s, and in the 1970s he moved to
California to study at the San Francisco Art Institute.
He received both his MA and MFA at the University
of California, Berkeley. He is currently a full professor at
Stanford University’s department of Art and Art History
and his work can be found in many public collections,
including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of
American Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and
the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
According to a PCA press release, “Chagoya uses
familiar pop icons to create deceptively friendly points of
entry for the discussion of complex issues. Because he
is rooted in both American culture and Mexican culture,
“The Thingly Thingness of Things” by Enrique Chagoya.
“Chagoya uses familiar pop icons to create
deceptively friendly points of entry for
the discussion of complex issues. Because
he is rooted in both American culture and
Mexican culture, he’s able to move back and
forth between the two, which informs his
commentary on everything from history to
current events.”
he’s able to move back and forth between the two, which
informs his commentary on everything from history to
current events. His work juxtaposes secular, popular,
and religious symbols in order to address the ongoing
cultural clash between the United States, Latin America
and the rest of the world.
“His work is said to have the subtle and sophisticated
ability to make people laugh and think at the same time.”
He’s made hundreds of drawings and prints over the
past 30 years, and began working in the book form in
1992, which was also the 500th anniversary of Christo-
pher Columbus’s trip to the “New World.”
According to Lavadour, many works in the Pendleton
exhibit are printed books in the style of the pre-Co-
lumbian Codex — painted books that recorded history,
science, land tenure, tribute, and sacred rituals using
Amate, a paper-like material or prepared animal skins
that were accordion-folded.
Some of the Chagoya books in the Pendleton exhibit
stretch out to almost eight feet long when displayed.
DEMONSTRATIONS
PCA will have a series of demonstrations and hands-
on workshops for youth and adults while the exhibit is
on view. Guests will have opportunities to experience
silk-screen and relief printing, make their own accordion
books and learn to make Amate. Dates and times will be
posted at PendletonArts.org, and all activities will be pro-
vided free, thanks to the support of the Jordan Schnitzer
Family Foundation.
The arts center, 214 N. Main St., is open Tuesday-Fri-
day, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Extended
hours will be available during the Chagoya exhibit, and
private before-and-after-hours tours can be booked by
emailing director@pendletonarts.org.
AIRPORT ANTIQUES &
THE FURNITURE LADY
Children’s
Museum of
Eastern Oregon
400 S Main St.,
Pendleton, OR
541-276-1066
cmeo.org
HOURS:
Tue. - Sat.10AM - 5PM
Closed 1-2PM for cleaning
1816 NW 51st St.
541.278.0141
Tuesday - Friday 10:30am - 6pm
www.pendletonfurniturelady.com