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Contemporary Coda

Illuminating current perspectives on the Spanish conquest of California, OMCA presents a companion installation to Splendors of Faith/Scars of Conquest. Offering relevant viewpoints on age-old themes, legacies, and iconographies presented in the exhibition, works by contemporary artists address issues of immigration, religion and contemporary Chicano identity, and the cultural survival of the Native peoples of California. Created mainly by Native and Hispanic artists, these works express devotion through the mixing of traditional and high-tech materials, offering a modern take on venerated figures like the Virgin of Guadalupe or the mainstream concepts of heaven and hell. Highlights includeMarion C. Martinez’s Queen of Heaven, Ester Hernandez’s Virgen de Guadalupe Wanted, Harry Fonseca’s The Discovery of Gold and Souls in California, and Alma Lopez’s Our Lady.


Curated by Associate Curator of Photography Drew Johnson.