Monday February 19 to March 8 / Flex Gallery, School of Art & Design
“The River is Famous to the Fish”
Works by Silver Castillo, Maria Elena, Silas Garcia, Laeree Lara
Curated by Joey Fauerso
Artists
Silver Castillo was born and raised in San Marcos, Tx. She is a senior at Texas State University with a major in advertising and a minor in art. She hopes to become an art director in her future career. She loves painting, it is her form of therapy.
Maria Elena is a content creator from Dallas, Texas specializing in beauty, creative makeup and lifestyle content. Maria graduated from Texas State University in 2019 with a BFA in Studio Art and concentration in Expanded Media. Maria has gained an influence, starting during the pandemic, of over 250 thousand followers across social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Silas Garcia is a Hispanic artist working with photography, video, and drawing. Born and raised in South Texas, Silas studied Fine Arts and achieved his BFA in Expanded Media at Texas State University. As a trans artist he uses photography and video as a way of documenting and capturing identity. He also embraces drawing in his photographs to create self-expression.
Laeree Lara Lepovitz, born in 1994 in Laredo, Texas, is an interdisciplinary artist whose work is deeply rooted in personal memories and legends from her childhood. Drawing inspiration from a lifetime of reflection, daydreams, and her recent experiences working in office settings as a woman and transsexual, Laeree creates personal stories that synthesize the information gathered in waking life. These stories serve as means of expression, reflecting the intertwining of her personal journey and the broader context of her experiences. Her childhood in Laredo becomes a rich tapestry, woven into the fabric of her art, playfully challenging conventional narratives and gender norms. Laeree’s work is a celebration of personal myths and stories, strengthening her passion for life and connection. Through her art, she encourages reflection and invites viewers to explore the delicate dance between memory, imagination, and the reality of everyday life. Themes of identity, introspection, and navigating life as a trans woman in Texas resonate throughout Laeree’s work. Her commitment to storytelling, both personal and collective, adds depth to her exploration of connection, offering a glimpse into the intricate layers of her lived experiences and artistic expression.
Curator:
Joey Fauerso is an artist and 2022 Guggenheim Fellow in the Fine Arts. Her work consists mostly of painting, video, installation and performance addressing issues of gender, humor and family. Recently her work has been exhibited at the Visual Arts Center at the University of Texas, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art, MASS MoCA, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the Drawing Center in New York, and New Mexico State University Art Museum. Fauerso has been the recipient of multiple grants and residencies, including a 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship, a 2020 Joan Mitchell Grant for Painters and Sculptors, a 2021 Sustainable Arts Foundation grant, the Open Sessions residency at The Drawing Center in New York, the Golden Foundation Grant, Dallas Museum of Art Kimberough Grant, the RAIR artist in residence grant, Yaddo, MacDowell, and Kunstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin. Fauerso is a Professor in the School of Art and Design at Texas State University, and lives with her family in San Antonio, Texas.