Southtown Art Gallery
Original dates: March 14th – April 11th 2020
Two distinct perspectives are given to New Life, which divides the room between energetic strokes of urban existence, and sprawling patterns of the natural world. The audience is given an opportunity to reflect on their ever changing lives, and what is yet to come of them. This is a selection of works by Mauro de la Tierra and Glenn Edinburgh, marking their first major venture into the realm of gallery exhibitions, and serves as a preview of their solo careers.
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About the Artists
Mauro de la Tierra
This series, while encapsulating the past three years of my life’s experiences, also serves as an eternal expression of the energies, interpersonal relationships and struggles that have culminated in my being thus far. Initially captured on 35mm film photography before being interpreted on canvas for my first foray into oil paints, I aimed to document honest, raw, organic portraits of the environment I knew fondly alongside new communities found in my travels – from my home on the East side of San Antonio, to West side punk rock shows, Chicago’s Southside underground scene, the New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward clown camp, and the silent, stoic biomes of abandoned buildings I’d find to decorate in spray paint. In capturing the angst and alienation of street culture, I looked through eyes of enormous empathy and sensitivity, having been in the throes of severe alcoholism and financial struggle during this time. My goal is to present to each viewer a side of society and life that is often vilified and ignored, though the people and places that are captured herein are very real and have very real stories to tell. I am presenting to the viewer a heartfelt statement of love for humanity and a case for unity. Maybe you can find New Life within the chaos as I have through living it. Visit Mauro’s Instagram.
Glenn Edinburgh
I come from a generation of rapid information exchanges, and from a region with expanding highways. This selection of work describes a constant state of growth, decay, and a reverence for both. Navigating through these conditions requires a willingness to unlearn truths, while building new truths that will once again be unlearned. These patterns once being part of a greater whole are disassembled, rearranged, and manipulated. By taking hold of this process, I learn to accept these shifting states of being as I build my future. Trained in printmaking, my performance and fabric work often utilizes patterns applied through the silkscreen method. I currently hold a BFA in studio art from Texas State University.
