Nery Gabriel Lemus I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me
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Nery Gabriel Lemus I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me
MARCH 10 - APRIL 20 | 2015
Cover images: Design by Rebecca McKinney featuring De Guatemala a Guatepeor and She’s Always Known that She’s Not a Wetback, by Nery Gabriel Lemus
All documentation photographs by Jeff Rau, from exhibition in the Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery.
I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me (exhibition catalog), by Nery Gabriel Lemus Editor: Jeff Rau Copyright © 2015 Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery All rights reserved.
First Edition. Book design by Rebecca McKinney and Melanie Kim. Published through Issuu.com
Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery Biola University Art Department 13800 Biola Ave., La Mirada, CA 90639 562.903.4807 • www.Biola.edu/ArtGallery
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
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CONTENTS
Exhibition Statement I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me
I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me “And who is my neighbor?” Untitled (Mother and Pheasant) Untitled (Barry and I) Untitled (Mom, Barry, and I) Untitled (My Mother and I On a Chair)
Guatemalan-American Flag De Guatemala a Guatepeor From L.A. to Calabasas I Was a Stranger in Egypt
Mi Mama Nunca a Volado en Ovni My Mother Did Not Come From Outer Space She’s Always Known that She’s Not a Wetback (After James Baldwin)
Exhibition Checklist Guest Reflections Artist Biography About the Gallery
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I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me Installation View - Earl & Virgina Green Art Gallery
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In the mid-1970s Rita Lemus immigrated to the United States from Guatemala as an orphan in search of a better life. Within a year of her arrival she found work as a housekeeper with Frank and Mary Pat here in Southern California. Their family provided consistent employment, but perhaps more importantly, they generously invited Rita into their home, and in many ways invited her into their family. Now for almost 40 years she has worked with the same family, and in that time she also raised up her own children, including her son, Nery Gabriel. Now artist Nery Gabriel Lemus looks back on his experiences growing up in this uniquely open and welcoming environment, and how these relationships shaped his own understanding and experience of racism and prejudice. Lemus employs a variety of strategies in this investigation, from a direct video interview with Rita and Mary Pat, to mining the family archives for images that reference the continued proximity of the two families, and text paintings that draw from such varied sources as funny childhood misconceptions, challenging cultural critiques, popular sayings, and Bible narratives. With these and other strategies Lemus builds on his previous oeuvre with new investigations of how these issues impact his own family story as they have sought acceptance in a foreign environment. Recalling the famous words of Christ, I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me challenges us to consider how simple gestures of generosity that bridge across social, economic, and racial boundaries, can help to break down barriers and offer hope to others in the midst of continued institutional opposition. By focusing his attention on his own family experience, Lemus avoids being drawn into a divisive debate, shifting the debate from a macro scale down to a singular narrative. He clearly asserts this work as one family’s story, but this is not to say there are not wider implications. Beyond garnering empathy, Lemus highlights how simple acts of generosity—in opening one’s home—had a profound impact on his own experience; challenging us to reconsider the words of Christ quoted from the Gospel of Matthew, and look again at the ways in which we all have opportunities to “welcome” those who are marginalized by society.
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HD Video I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me 2014 22 min. 12 sec.
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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From L.A. to Calabasas 2014
HD Video 10 minutes
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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“And who is my neighbor?”
2014
oil on printed paper 17” x 12.5” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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Untitled (Mother and Pheasant)
2014
C-printed photograph 14” x 10.5” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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Untitled (Barry and I)
2014
C-print photograph 14” x 10.5” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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Untitled (Mom, Barry, and I)
2014
C-printed photograph 14” x 10.5” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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Untitled (My Mother and I On a Chair)
2014
C-print photograph 14” x 10.5” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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Guatemalan-American Flag
2014
Nylon Flag 60” x 36” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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De Guatemala a Guatepeor
2013
oil on canvas 24” x 22” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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I Was a Stranger in Egypt
2014
oil on canvas 48” x 24” x 2.5” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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She’s Always Known that She’s Not a Wetback (After James Baldwin) 2013
oil on canvas 41” x 72” x 2.5” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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Mi Mama Nunca A Volado en Un Ovni
2014
oil on primed paper 19” x 26” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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My Mother Did Not Come From Outer Space
2013
oil on canvas 41” x 72” x 2.5” Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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Exhibition Checklist Nery Gabriel Lemus
Untitled (Mother and Pheasant)
Untitled (Mom, Barry, and I)
2013 HD Video 22 minutes 12 seconds Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me
2014 C-print photograph 14” x 10.5”
2014 c-print photograph 14” x 10.5”
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
“And who is my neighbor?”
Untitled (Barry and I)
Untitled (My Mother and I on a Chair)
2014 oil on primed paper 17” x 12.5”
2013 C-print photograph 14” x 10.5”
2013 C-print photograph 14” x 10.5”
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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Guatemalan-American Flag
I Was a Stranger in Egypt
Mi Mamá Nunca a Volado en Un Ovni
2014 oil on canvas 48” x 24” x 2.5”
2014 nylon flag 60” x 36”
2014 oil on primed paper 19” x 26”
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
De Guatemala a Guatepeor
She’s Always Known that She’s Not a Wetback (After James Baldwin)
My Mother Did Not Come From Outer Space
2013 oil on canvas 24” x 22”
2013 oil on canvas 41” x 72” x 2.5”
2013 oil on canvas 41” x 72” x 2.5”
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
From L.A. to Calabasas
2014 HD video 10 minutes
Courtesy of the Artist and Charlie James Gallery
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Guest Reflections Selections from the gallery comment book
“Interesting...”
"Me encanto! Se que hay muchas madres que han pasado por esto, como la mia."
“Excellent view of integration. The work speaks volumes for the human spirit.” “I absolutely love this work, in many ways I can relate... Thank you so much for making meaningful work. My favorite is your title, 'I was a stranger and you welcomed me.' I believe God led me to your exhibit, too bad I didn't get to meet you! Maybe some day...” -R.V.
“I was a stranger and THIS welcomed me!” - E.
“Your concept of color is beautiful. That typography! Mind blowing.” -K.
“Wonderful! Thank you for your heart. We are all 'strangers' and 'aliens' on the way to our true home. PTL!” -J.
“Those are powerful, effective words to base an exhibit around. I think your work does inspire a generosity of spirit.” -M.M.
“I'm Guatemalan and I understand what it feels like coming to Biola. My favorite is 'guatepeor'! Too funny!”
“How can I do more to welcome others as strangers? The kindness and closeness of the employing family forces me to examine how I can become that kind of help to others.” -E.P.
“Thank you for sharing your art with the Biola community. It means a lot to the community as well as myself especially. Love the story. It's true and beautiful.” -J.
“Your narrative, it is an echoing challenge for me to continually reorient my understanding of balancing who and what my neighbor is, and who is a stranger. Reconciling the words of Christ, welcoming the stranger in such a way that transverses into caring for them as a neighbor is awakening. Your narrative, in light of the political statement is honest and unthreatening and compels me to use my voice to advocate for my new found neighbor. Thank you.” - A.G.
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“This really made me think about the importance of generosity in our society/culture. It was a great reminder of what is truly important and meaningful in life...” -J.
“Very beautiful reflection on cross-cultural relationships and how we see others who we consider'different' from ourselves, when really we're all one and the same.” “Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability. I have come into the gallery many times to get creative and thought provoking inspiration from your work. I love how you have taken something so personal to you and extended it to others in the Christian circle who might not understand this topic the way you do...” -M.V.
“Me encanto la expocision, me relaciono mucho con las frase en las pinturas, porque soy immigrante de Mexico. La bandera de Guatemala y Estados Unidos me impacto porque yo me siento de dos diferents mundo, o entre dos naciones. Aparte soy artista y me interesan mucho estos temas, son los mas poderosos. Gracias.” -T.
“Cultural barriers is a huge issue in the communities that are all around. I really appreciated what you were trying to convey. I hope you continue to bring awareness of this issue to people in this world, and specifically on this campus!”
“Your work, your testimony of life, strikes a rich, rich chord in my heart. I too am a part of an immigrant family, and I too have experienced this marginalization. I have let it define me. I let it build so much in my heart that I question whether I try to fight this more out of spite or out of love. I have always felt like a stranger, but I never let God welcome me.”
“As a student of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I really appreciated the heart of this exhibition. Thank you for a picture of Abrahamic hospitality and encouragement.” -J.R.
“So beautiful. The colors.” -J.O.
“I can't help but think of my dad who came from El Salvador and lived on the streets of San Jose for the first couple years he was in California. He still hears cracks about 'being brown'...”
“Perhaps as someone unfamiliar with both Spanish and the story of an immigrant, I felt disconnected from the poignancy of the works... Though I heavily appreciated the artists allusions to the journey.” -M.G.W.
“I am also an immigrant. I came to the USA from Mexico. I am 'unique and special' and will continue to 'pass it forward' with the guidance of my God!”
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Nery Lemus Gabriel
A native of Southern California, Nery Gabriel Lemus was born in Los Angeles, in 1977. The subjects in his work range from issues of stereotype and immigration to problems in society that can lead to the failure of families, such as poverty, abuse and neglect. Lemus received his BFA at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California (2007) and his MFA at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California (2009). Lemus also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine (2008).
His work has been featured in solo exhibitions at, Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Steve Turner Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA; The Bindery Projects, Minneapolis, MN; Project Row Houses, Houston, TX. Group exhibitions include, Fútbol: The Beautiful Game , Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA; Made in L.A. 2012 , organized by the Hammer Museum in collaboration with LA> He is a recipient of a COLA Fellowship Grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles, and the Rema Hort Mann Foundation Fellowship Award. He is represented by Charlie James Gallery in Los Angeles. 38 39 40 The Earl & Virginia Green Art Gallery presents a program of rotating contemporary art exhibitions on the campus of Biola University. Located in the greater Los Angeles area, the Green Art Gallery is well positioned to represent a vital Christian worldview within the critical dialogue of contemporary visual art and to produce engaging exhibitions that grapple with issues concerning the intersection of faith with art and culture. The Green Art Gallery also provides professional development opportunities for Biola art students through gallery exhibitions and internships. About Gallery the For more information please visit www.Biola.edu/ArtGallery 41 42
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