Gabriel Diego Delgado

STATEMENT

STATEMENT

As a Political Artist, my professional career began as a Curator of Exhibitions at the Ineri Foundation, an arts focused foundation, overseeing the day to day management of two very distinct museums; The Artcar Museum- a Folk Art Museum based loosely on a Houston Folk Art Phenomenon of Art Cars and The Station Museum of Contemporary Art- A Museum whose mission it is to showcase Political Art and underrepresented voices in mainstream art communities.

I was one of two Curators on staff under the Directorship of James Harithas, a renowned Art Director most notable for his Tenure at the Corcoran Museum in Washington D.C., the Syracuse Art Museum, and later in his Professional career- Director of the Contemporary Art Museum of Houston. Spending five years as Curator of Exhibitions in such unusual scholarly company and mentorship, my professional studies and Museum Director initiated/supported focus allowed me to continue my individual pursuit and investigation into Political Art. As Curator of Exhibitions at the Station Museum of Contemporary Art and a Political Artist, my emphasis became showcasing art being made in times of political turmoil. I traveled to many destinations to meet with artists all over the world to see their work and discuss their views and visions. Artists in Mexico met me with their traditional, street, and sometimes outsider art covering the Chiapas, Mexico Uprising of 2000 and the farmer initiated Zapatista Rebellion. Political Artists in Jordan, Syria, Israel, and Palestine were very vocal about the social unrest and historical implications of the current and past Middle Eastern Affairs, and Nationally Acclaimed artists like Mel Chin, (whom I was a studio assistant to in 1999-2000,) opened my eyes to a new and groundbreaking scientific art with the creation and tested ability to turn art-science hybrid lab projects into tangible/plant-able vegetation that consumed polluted soil, creating a byproduct of cleansed dirt and undergrowth.

My experiences in Political Art Experiences are well documented in various abstracts including a printed book called Made in Palestine (available on Amazon.com) showcasing the entire art exhibition of the same name (Made in Palestine); recognizing myself and other staff members as part of a team of courageous and innovative museum professionals developing the first ever survey exhibition of exclusively all Palestinian Political Artists in the United States. This book is a testimonial of my and the staff’s journey in the creation of this exhibition, the people and artists we met during our extensive traveling and our role as museum professionals in recognizing this very important international art genre.

Current Professional highlights include being 1 of only 7 selected artists by Amnesty International to be nationally recognized and invited to be incorporated into their kick off of events, art exhibition and promotional of the International “Protect the Human” campaign.

In regards to my professional exhibitioner history, I have had many captivating exhibitions, including Texas Rangers,-a Texas based political exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Washington D.C.; Dialogues- an exhibition at Blue Star Gallery showcasing emerging talents of Houston and San Antonio, curated by nationally recognized Freelance Curator of Contemporary Art, Risa Puleo; and Terror?- a post Iraqi war exhibition questioning the hypothetical black-list notion of artists as terrorists at the acclaimed alternative non-profit institution, Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco. Most recent accords have included work shown at local San Antonio art venues like the Guadalupe Cultural Art Center, Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, City Sponsored Luminaria; Sell Your Fear, a traveling Political Poster exhibition; Reveal the Lies, an art exhibition at the newly established Audley Society Gallery in Houston; Texas Drops By, an invitational exhibition at MadisMad Gallery for ARCO 2011 in Madrid, Spain, as well as many others.
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BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY

Gabriel Diego Delgado was born in Elyria, Ohio, in 1976 and currently lives and works in San Antonio, Texas. He received a BFA from Kent State University’s School of Fine Art in 1998. He has had a recent solo exhibition at The Villa Gallery, San Antonio, Texas (2011); with select group exhibitions at MOCA D.C. (2001); DiverseWorks, Houston, Texas (2002); Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco, California (2004). His work is in the collection of the Jim and Ann Harithas’s Ineri Foundation, Houston, Texas; Catherine Anspon, Houston, Texas; and Carolyn Farb, Houston, Texas, among others. Delgado is currently working on a solo exhibition in Houston for June 2011, as well as curating a show slated to open in August. He is also a freelance arts writer and reviewer for several Texas publications.

Gabriel Diego Delgado

STATEMENT

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BIOGRAPHY