April 1 — May 6, 2023
Algo Queda (Something Remains)
Roberto Munguia
Conduit Gallery is honored to announce Algo Queda (Something Remains), a solo exhibition of paintings and works on paper at Conduit Gallery by Dallas-based artist, Roberto Munguia.
In his newest body of work, Roberto Munguia approaches the making and viewing of his paintings as a wholistic and unified experience by referring to it as “Algo Queda (Something Remains).” The processes Munguia employes in his non-objective paintings is a process he developed in the studio in 2012, approaching abstraction from an intuitive and experimental position. Munguia states, “This type of work attempts a vital dialogue between freedom and control/ structure and spontaneity, begging a balance between the two. Sometimes the risk pays off and something truly amazing emerges.”
The exhibition is composed of two distinct outputs, stark black and white graphite crystalline compositions and vibrant bulbous high chroma collaged paintings.
In the liquid graphite drawings, a structure is established through the movement of the artist’s hand, not dictated by a preconceived architecture, but through being attuned to an inner rhythm and cadence.
With the color works, there is an entirely different approach. Liquid acrylic is poured and directed to create fluid lava pools of color. These are then dried and cut into irregularly shaped collage paintings that burst off the surface. There is an interesting tension between the muscular graphite drawing and the energetic rush of the undiluted, un-contained color cutouts. This is an exhibition that describes harmony of soul and commitment to process.
Roberto Munguia earned his B.F.A. in 1976 from the University of Texas, Austin followed by graduate study at the University of Dallas, Irving where he earned his M.A. in 1978 and M.F.A. in 1979. His evolution as an artist has been a dynamic process, informed by the thriving Chicano art scene of South Texas in the late sixties and seventies. The atmosphere of experimentation and political expression provided an important environment for the young Munguia to become adept at a number of diverse production techniques. Mungia is a regular exhibitor at Conduit Gallery. Selected recent exhibitions include: 8X8 Self Portrait Exhibition, Zhou B Center, Chicago IL (2018); Roberto Munguia: Buscador/Descubridor, 35 year Retrospective, Latino Cultural Center, Dallas TX (2017); Ceromantia, Emma Barrientos Mexican-American Cultural Center, Austin TX (2016).