University Art Gallery Exhibits ‘Legend and Legacy: José Guadalupe Posada and Contemporary Latinx Art’

(Carson, CA) – “Legend and Legacy: José Guadalupe Posada and Contemporary Latinx Art,” a multimedia exhibition tracing the influence of Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada on contemporary Latinx artists, will run Oct. 7–Dec. 13, Monday–Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and by appointment at the University Art Gallery at California State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH).

The public opening reception for the exhibition takes place Saturday, Oct. 5 from 3 to 6 p.m. The exhibit is FREE and open to the public.

Known for his animated skeleton figures—or calaveras—used in annual Day of the Dead observances, Posada chronicled and satirized his society in street art that appealed to the public during the reign of dictator Porfirio Díaz. The exhibition will provide the unique opportunity for audiences to examine the genealogy of an image, tracing the calavera figure in Posada’s illustrations to its profound impact upon generations of Mexican and Chicana/o artists over the last century, and finally to its continuing presence within United States popular culture.

Posada’s legacy was an inspiration to the Chicana/o art movement during the 1970s, and it continues to be an important touchstone for Latinx artists whose works address the political and social issues of their times in graphic arts, installation, performance, and film.

Along with Posada’s pieces, “Legend and Legacy” will include works by contemporary Latinx artists Lalo Alcaraz; Olivia Y. Armas; José Antonio Burciaga; Melanie Cervantes of Dignidad Rebelde; Rupert García; Ester Hernández; Kalli Arte (Adriana Carranza and Alfonso Aceves); Robert Karimi; Alvaro Márquez; and Artemio Rodríguez.

Armas and Rod Hernandez, associate professor of English at CSUDH, lead the planning and implementation of this exhibition, which was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is being presented in collaboration with the CSUDH Gerth Archives and Special Collections Department.

The University Art Gallery at California State University, Dominguez Hills is located in LaCorte Hall, A-107, and open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment. The exhibit is free to the public. The university is located at 1000 E. Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747. Click here for directions and a printable campus map. Please contact artgallery@csudh.edu for more information or to schedule an appointment.