Hector & Paul Escamilla y Amigos
October 13 & 14, 2023
An exhibition of new paintings by Hector Escamilla-Rivera and photography by Paul Escamilla. Additional works by other San Antonio artists will also be on display.
Flower by Paul Escamilla
(photo L to R) from 2022 innaugural exhibit
Artists Victor De La Fuente, Hector Escamilla, & Lionel Sosa
EXHIBITION INFORMATION
The exhibition will run for October 13&14, 2023 from 6-9pm.
Hector Escamilla-Rivera & Friends is curated by Monica De La Cruz.
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Monica De La Cruz was born in the United States, in the state of Texas, two hours from the US and Mexico border. Her mother is from San Luis, Potosi, Mexico and her father from Puerto Rico, giving her two different cultural backgrounds on being an Mexican/Afro-LatinX in Texas. Her art reflects the strong Catholic religious influences while blending it with ancient Aztec mayan cultures. She was raised speaking both Spanish and English going to a private grade school in downtown San Antonio where she spent her formative years hanging out with the art department mural painters from Lanier High school. Her family had land in Nuevo Laredo and she spent much of her early life crossing the border from one country to the other. In college she studied History and Art and she started to travel to southern Mexico. There she became aware of the pre-Columbian civilizations of the Aztecs, Mayans, Olmec and Toltecs and the many tribes that still exist in Mexico. She started being fascinated by the local folk artisans and the Aztec legends and culture. Her art reflects the strong catholic religious influences while blending it with ancient Aztec mayan cultures. It is here where she discovered the Xoloitzcuintle, which is a hairless dog native to Mexico that been in traced in anthropological circles to be at least three thousands years old. This dog was very special to the Aztec culture as it was believed to be a spiritual guide. In the Aztec mythology, the Xolo was the guide that helped you The Xolo's job was to guide the soul of his or her master through nine levels to reach the Mictlan or heaven, then help him cross the Chiconahuapan, These dogs to this day hold a deep spiritual presence in Mexico and Mexican communities. These dogs guided her spirit into the world of art and dogs as she began to paint them and sold her work internationally. She also recently discovered the heart motif in the Aztec religion and the Catholic Church, in the form of exotos which now make up part of her iconography.