Art League Houston (ALH) presents four new exhibitions including Here, Ahora (a group show curated by Reyes Ramirez), Miriam Medrez, Liyen Chong, and Molly Koehn opening Friday, March 22, 2019, from 6-9 p.m. with artist talks kicking off at 6:15 p.m.

Here, Ahora: Houston, Latinx, Queer Artists Under 30
Curated by Reyes Ramirez
Participating Artists: Leticia Contreras, Jessica González, Romeo Harrell, Ángel Lartigue, Trevon Latin, Moe Penders, Isaac Reyes
Artist & Curator Remarks: 6:45 PM I Main Gallery

Art League Houston (ALH) is proud to present Here, Ahora: Houston, Latinx, Queer Artists Under 30 curated by Reyes Ramirez and featuring artists Leticia Contreras, Jessica González, Romeo Harrell, Ángel Lartigue, Trevon Latin, Moe Penders, and Isaac Reyes. Houston boasts the fifth highest concentration of Latinxs in major American cities, proving itself as fertile grounds for diverse Latinx art. This exhibition, in conjunction with Latino Art Now! (LAN) highlights a particular aspect of the Latinx identity: young, LGBTQ artists of color working within Houston who show amazing potential to shape and innovate Latinx art and discourse, for Houston and beyond, in the years to come.

Latinx’s are being dehumanized in our political climate. Latinx artistic discourse needs to be highlighted because our work acts as a counter spell to the political discourse that labels them as murderers, rapists, and drug dealers; we are poets, writers, and artists. More than that, Latinx identity is fluid and far-reaching. Latinxs can be men, women, gender-fluid, black, indigenous, LGBTQ, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Honduran, Dominican, Peruvian, etc., many at the same time. However, American artistic discourse has barely scratched the surface of Latinx art. This exhibition illuminates the many intersections that fall within the Latinx identity, culturally and aesthetically.

Here, Ahora features some of Houston’s most talented emerging artists who represent different aspects of Latinidad and work in different media and practices. Featured artists include the following: Ángel Lartigue, a Mexican-American and queer artist, who works in sculpture, photography, painting, performance, etc.; Trevon Latin, an African-American and homosexual artist, who works in craft, fashion, and painting; Moe Penders, a Salvadoran and queer artist, working in photography; Isaac Reyes, a Mexican and queer artist, working in sculpture, installation art, performance, and drag; Romeo Harrell, a Latinx and bisexual artist, who works in photography, film, and digital media; Jessica González, a Honduran/Salvadoran American artist, working in sculpture and mixed media; and Leticia Contreras, an Afro-Chicana and queer artist, working in craft, performance, etc.; etc. This exhibition highlights LGBTQ artists working in photography, multimedia, sculpture, performance, fashion, etc. who identify as Latinx, Black, and much more. Here, Ahora seeks to progress Latinx identity, art, and discourse.

A reading in conjunction with Here, Ahora, will be presented at a later date, featuring LGTBQ, Latinx writers from Houston and beyond in response to the visual art.