A new exhibit featured at the university’s Ben Bailey Art Gallery evokes a sense of familiarity with illustrations rooted in South Texas and Hispanic culture.
Chicana artist and San Antonio native Marta Sanchez opened her new exhibit Train of Thought in the gallery on Friday, Sept. 13.
Free to A&M-Kingsville students, faculty and residents of Kingsville, Sanchez held an artist talk detailing the inspiration and historical background of her exhibit.
“Marta has been working on a series of paintings of the San Antonio train yards near her childhood home. Through these paintings, she explores the role of trains in the Mexican migration through the Southern Pacific. Carpas, traveling circus and vaudeville troupes that performed throughout Mexico, are the inspiration for another series that has captivated Marta’s creative energies,” as stated by artdemarta.com.
The exhibit features pieces from both her train and Carpas collections.
Train of Thought consists of mix-media paintings and sculptures. The technique of painting on “tin or industrial corrugated metal” surfaces can be witnessed throughout the exhibit.
Vibrant hues of red, blue and yellow warm the industrialized landscapes depicted by Sanchez. Amongst train yards, equally vibrant scenes of Carpas’ performances can be viewed in Train of Thought.
One series within the display features poetry from Chicana Poet Norma E. Cantu. The duo sought to create a “literary and visual endeavor by two Chicana women,” Sanchez said.
Train of Thought seemed to resonate with the attending audience for Sanchez’s artist talk.
“She talked about portraying a stray dog in Dog on Seguin because she felt compassion for it, and that was something I really connected to. There is something lovely about the idea of placing such endearment on something that could be so easily overlooked,”
said fine art’s major Sarah Jean Ruiz.
According to artdemarta.com, Sanchez’s art is featured in “The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, The McNay Art Museum, The Fine Art Museum of St. Petersburg, Florida, and The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago.”
Train of Thought is currently on display in the Ben Bailey Art Gallery. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.