Details
| First Name | Alejandro |
| Last Name | Macias |
| Username | alejandrom |
| Bio | Born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, along the U.S./ Mexico border, Alejandro Macias received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Brownsville in 2008, and a Master of Fine Arts in 2-D Studio Art from the University of Texas – Pan American in 2012. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including notable residencies at Vermont Studio Center, Chateau d’Orquevaux in Orquevaux, France, The Studios at MASS MoCA, Wassaic Project, CALA Alliance, and Uncool Artist in Brooklyn, NY (2024). He recently participated in group exhibitions at the Visual Arts Center at the University of Texas at Austin, Mexic-Arte Museum, Amarillo Museum of Art, Carlsbad Museum of Art, Las Cruces Museum of Art, Arizona State University Art Museum, and Centro de Artes in San Antonio, held solo exhibitions at Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, Presa House Gallery, Tucson Museum of Art, and was featured in the West Issue #156 of New American Paintings, juried by Lauren R. O’Connell, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. He was recently the recipient of the Lehmann Emerging Artist award, which included a two person exhibition at the Phoenix Art Museum. He has a forthcoming solo exhibition at Latch-Key Gallery in New York, NY (2024). He currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Arizona School of Art in Tucson, AZ. |
| Website | |
| Country of residence | United States (US) |
Statement
| Statement | The Rio Grande Valley, where I was born and raised, remains a unique place for its fusion of Mexican and American cultures. Coming from this large stretch of marginalized region, I feel divided by these two nations while simultaneously composed by them. My personal identity mirrors my engagement with traditional rendering, and my challenge with contemporary drawing and painting. Much of my artistic execution is compositionally divided with a mixture of conventional, representational, and abstract approaches. This duality in approach acts as a metaphor for my upbringing along the U.S./Mexico border. I continue to seek and gain a better understanding of my ethnic background while framing and contextualizing ideas on Mexican-American identity, assimilation, acculturation, repression, civil rights, immigration, cultural misconceptions, and the individual qualities of the people around me. Ultimately, my artistic endeavors reflect border concerns, contemporary socio-political trepidations, and the ever-shifting American political landscape. |
Exhibitions
| Exhibitions |
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Interests and medias
| Interests | Drawing, Filmmaking / Video art, Mixed media, Painting |