FREE Admission
The San Diego Art Institute is pleased to present “la/el/ellas/ellos/usted quinceañera/o” a solo project by SDAI artist-in-resident Noé Olivas at SDAI Project Space in Horton Plaza. The opening reception will take place at the SDAI Project Space, 141 Horton Plaza, on Friday, March 31 from 6pm-8pm. The exhibition will be open Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm-5pm and will run until Sunday, April 30.
Olivas explores childhood memories, gender roles, and contemporary gender stereotyping through this project, “la/el/ellas/ellos/usted quinceañera/o”. The completed work will manifest itself in the form of a quinceañera dress installation made from atypical materials. The process and materials tap into Olivas’ desires to inform himself on the history and tradition of the quinceañera process, how it speaks to the ongoing progression or regression of gender roles, and the myth of machismo.
About Noé Olivas:
Noé’s artwork investigates the Mexican-American identity as a Californian. He considers the relationship between labor/leisure as it fits into conceptions of femininity and masculinity, specifically by evaluating the myth of Machismo and its correlation to patriarchal culture. He depicts these notions through the use of found domestic and utilitarian objects and materials to form sculptures, drawings, and prints that generate visual puns and cultural overtones, while also aiming to highlight how these objects portray and mimic language, specifically Spanglish—the rhythmic convergence of two languages spoken in Latin-American homes. Noé holds a BA in Visual Arts from the University of San Diego. During his last year at USD he initiated and developed a rolling social sculpture consisting of a 1967 Chevy Bread truck called “Untitled Space." This work has been exhibited at The New Children’s Museum, the San Diego Museum of Art, Bread and Salt, and Helmuth Projects. He is a 2015 San Diego Foundation Creative Catalyst Fellowship winner, and currently the Matthew J. Mahoney Artist-in-Residence at the San Diego Art Institute.