JOSÉ ARENAS
BIOGRAPHY
California based artist Jose Arenas creates works that explore dual identities, personal ritual, migration, and the displaced feeling that occurs from growing up in two countries. Born in San Jose, California, Arenas spent much of his childhood traveling between Northern California and Guadalajara, Mexico. His experiences navigating two worlds along with its complex process of integration and assimilation has informed his work in a variety of ways. By combining decorative patterns, culturally assigned symbols, and familiar abstract forms, he creates an emotionally resonant narrative that remains open to interpretation. His dense collage approach reflects among other things the handmade Mexican street signage found both in Mexico and in many Mexican neighborhoods in the United States.
Arenas received a BFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute (1995), and an MFA from UC Davis (2000). His work has been exhibited throughout the United States. Cities include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and New York City. Recent solo & group exhibitions include Arcilesi Homberg Fine Art, NY, Luna Rienne, CA, Cindy Rucker Gallery, NY, Ground Floor Gallery, NY, and Nancy Margolis, NY.
Our
Story
STATEMENT
My paintings examine histories and narratives of dual identity, displacement, and dislocation common to the transnational immigrant experience. Personally, growing up in both Mexico and the United States, I navigated parallel worlds with distinct customs and rituals that would at times intersect. At other times, when the differences between cultural spaces and norms became difficult to grasp, I floated between two worlds.
My work explores this personal yet globally shared immigrant experience through collage-like compositions that incorporate and combine familiar forms that reference place, direction, and the feeling of living in a state of in-betweenness. Many of the shapes and symbols that populate my paintings come from a range of gathered sources including old family pictures, textile patterns, religious holy cards, and more recently vintage Mexican postcards that portray rural landscapes. Imagery from California, Mexico, and the journey between provides a backdrop for symbolic iconography, evoking memories and narratives of the migrant experience. My regular habit of collecting, cataloging, and re-combining disparate elements is a starting point where visual triggers lead to spontaneous and unexpected narrative possibilities.
CURRICULUM VITAE
b. San Jose, CA
Lives and works in Davis, California
Education
Master of Fine Arts, University of California Davis, Davis CA, 2000 / Painting
Bachelor of Fine Arts, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, 1996 / Painting, Printmaking
Solo and Two-Person Exhibition Record
2019 A Place in Mind, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA
2018 Wayfinder, Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer, Woodland, CA
2014 Transient Nature, Arcilesi Homberg Fine Art, New York, NY
2012 Memory Laden, Yace Gallery, New York, NY
2010 American Pastiche, Hang Art, San Francisco, CA
2009 Colonia, Krause Center for Innovation, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA
2006 Here & There, Hang Art, San Francisco, CA
2005 Sea Change, Krause Center for Innovation, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA
2002 Person, Place, or Thing, Point Arena Center for the Arts, Point Arena, CA
2000 Mexicatessence, Rasmussen Gallery, Pacific Union College, Angwin, CA
Group Exhibition Record
2023 Nomadic Treasures, AHA Fine Art, New York, NY
2022 Pathways: Mapping, Navigation, Wanderlust & Borders, Art Ark Gallery, San Jose, CA
2021 Renderings of Santa Cecilia, La Peňa, Austin, TX
2021 Trueque: Part I, Root Division, San Francisco, CA
2020 Seven at Twenty: UC Davis MFA 2000 Reunion, Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2018 Sojourn, East Broadway Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM.
Latino Art Now! (MACLA) Movimiento de Arte Y Cultura Latino Americana, San Jose, CA
2017 Pleased to Meet You, Parlor Gallery, Asbury Park, NJ
Silent Auction, (MACLA) Movimiento de Arte Y Cultura Latino Americana, San Jose, CA
2016 Valentine Group Show, Arcilesi Homberg Fine Art, New York, NY
Benefit Exhibition / Art Connects New York, Christie´s, New York, NY
2015 Unearthing Roots, Foraging Self, NARS Gallery / NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, NY
Faculty Art Exhibition, Kingsborough Community College Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Winter Group Exhibition, AHA Arcilesi Homberg Fine Art, New York, NY
2014 Parts & Labor, Luna Rienne Gallery, San Francisco, CA
California Dreaming, Cindy Rucker Gallery, New York, NY
Staycation, Ground Floor Gallery, New York, NY
DimeBag Show, The End is Near, New York, NY
Undercurrents, Peninsula Museum of Art, Burlingame, CA
2013 Dumbo Arts Festival, Arcilesi Homberg Fine Art, New York, NY
Stuck, Pop Up Exhibit, Arcilesi Homberg Fine Art, New York, NY
2012 Brooklyn Museum GO Open Studios, Brooklyn, NY
Gavel Auction, Daniel Cooney Fine Art, New York, NY
Recess, Arcilesi Homberg Fine Art, New York, NY
Dexterity, Love and Luxe, San Francisco, CA
Permanent Collection, Nancy Margolis, New York, NY
2011 26 Reasons, Jimmie Gallery, Berkeley, CA
Identity Shift: Migration, Identity, Belonging, Arcilesi Fine Art & Gowanus Print Lab, New York, NY
Navigations of the Fantastic, (MACLA) Movimiento de Arte Y Cultura Latino Americana, San Jose, CA
Take Me Home, Arcilesi Fine Art, New York, NY
Bridges, Trees, Treasure Trails, NARS Gallery / NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, NY
Surreptitious Fondness, NARS Gallery / NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, NY
2010 Ready, Set, Create, NARS Gallery / NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, NY
2009 Winter 1 Exhibit Art Basel, Midtown 4 Gallery, Miami, FL
Monotype Marathon, ICA / The San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA
Chicana/Chicano Biennial, (MACLA) Movimiento de Arte Y Cultura Latino Americana, San Jose, CA
2008 Tortilla Curtain, Krause Center for Innovation / Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA
2007 Relativity, Hang Art, San Francisco, CA
Allegory, Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA
2006 Flight Patterns, Hang Art, San Francisco, CA
2005 Triptych, Hang Art, San Francisco, CA
Lux, Encantada, San Francisco, CA
New Faces, Hang Art, San Francisco, CA
2004 Slippage: Wording the Thought Bubble, Works San Jose Gallery, San Jose, CA
Storytellers, Los Medanos College, Pittsburg, CA
Silent Auction, (MACLA) Movimiento de Arte Y Cultura Latino Americana, San Jose, CA
2003 Brown Bag Lunch, Ajax Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Silent Auction, Works San Jose Gallery, San Jose, CA
Silent Auction, (MACLA) Movimiento de Arte Y Cultura Latino Americana, San Jose, CA
2002 Exquisite Day Project, Plus Ultra Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
Panorama, Gallery 69, San Francisco, CA
Evac, Ajax Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2002 Between Two Trees, Creative Arts Center Gallery, Sunnyvale, CA
Angel Island, Euphrat Museum, De Anza College, Cupertino, CA
Faculty Exhibition, Euphrat Museum, De Anza College, Cupertino, CA
2000 Silent Auction, (SMOVA) Sonoma Museum of Visual Art, Santa Rosa, CA
The Fortune Cookie Show, Uptown Arts / Artisan Square, Sacramento, CA
1999 Geography, Peter Miller Gallery, Chicago, IL
Keep This Copy for Your Records, Memorial Union Gallery / UC Davis, Davis, CA
Blind Date, Travel Exhibit: UC Davis, CA, UC Berkeley, CA, Manchester, UK
Annual Exhibition, Memorial Union Gallery, UC Davis, Davis, CA
Los Tres, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
1997 Grupo Ñ Collective Show, Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Day of The Dead: Myth and Fantasy, Balazo Gallery, San Francisco, CA
1996 San Francisco Open Studio, San Francisco, CA
SFAI Spring Show, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
Three Person Show, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
Selected Curatorial Work
2023 What You Give, Latino Center of Art and Culture, Sacramento, CA
2022 Grabados del Alma: Gráfica Contemporánea Oaxaqueña, Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer,
Woodland, CA
2022 Talleres Sin Fronteras, Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer, Woodland, CA
2021 Larger Than Life: Murals in the Making, Yolo Arts, Woodland, CA
2019 Stephany Sanchez: Guerrera, Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer, Woodland, CA
Artist Residencies
2009 Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose, CA, with Hang Art, San Francisco, CA
2002 PreNeo Press, Redwood City, CA
Artist Lectures/Critiques/Jurying
Artist Lecture, Printing Identity, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA 2022.
Artist Lecture, Solo Exhibition, A place in Mind, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA 2019.
Panel Moderator, Documenting the Undocumented, Symposium, UC Davis, CA 2019
Lecture and Graduate Critiques, Shandong University, Art and Design, Jinan, China, 2018
Juror, National competition for the League of Innovation in the Community College, Los Altos Hills, CA 2017
Keynote Speaker, KCC Reads, Americanah, Kingsborough Community College, New York, NY, 2015
Guest Critic, Parsons School of Design, Ornamentation / Wallpaper Project. New York, NY, 2012
Panelist, National Chicana/Chicano Biennial, MACLA / Movimiento de Arte Y Cultura Latino-Americana, San Jose, CA, 2009
Juror, FALC Fall Fest Show, Cupertino Art League, Cupertino, CA, 2009
Lecture & Critique, Cupertino Art League, Cupertino, CA, 2008
Lecture & Tour, Public Mural Commission, San Jose, CA, 2008
Presentation, Southern Graphics Conference, Chicago, Il, 2008
Panelist, Allegory, Art Works Downtown, San Rafael, CA, 2007
Presentation, CAA/College Art Association Conference, New York, NY, 2006
Artist Lecture, Latino Heritage Month Featured Artist Talk/ Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA, 2001
Professional Experience
Director, Taller Arte Del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA), University of California Davis, Davis, CA. 2017- present.
Associate Professor of Art, Kingsborough Community College, New York, NY. 2015-2017
Parsons School of Design, New York, NY. 2010 - 2015
Associate Professor of Art, Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, CA. 2000-2010
Teaching / Selected Courses
Chicana/o Studies, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 2017-present.
Courses: CHI 171 Mexican and Chicano Mural Workshop, CHI 073 Chicana/o Art Expression Through Silk Screen.
Professional Activities
Board Member, Pence Gallery, Davis, CA 2020-present
Board President, Yolo Arts, Woodland, CA 2019-present
Board Member, ACNY- Art Connects New York, New York, NY 2012-2015
Our
Story
This is your About page. This space is a great opportunity to give a full background on who you are, what you do, and what your site has to offer. Your users are genuinely interested in learning more about you, so don’t be afraid to share personal anecdotes to create a more friendly quality. Every website has a story, and your visitors want to hear yours. This space is a great opportunity to provide any personal details you want to share with your followers. Include interesting anecdotes and facts to keep readers engaged. Double click on the text box to start editing your content and make sure to add all the relevant details you want site visitors to know. If you’re a business, talk about how you started and share your professional journey. Explain your core values, your commitment to customers and how you stand out from the crowd. Add a photo, gallery or video for even more engagement.