New Collections at OMCA: Celebrating the Art and Impact of Joey Terrill and Laura Aguilar
Joey Terrill, Still-Life with 3 Triumeq Pills and 2 Red Chilis, Mixed media on canvas, 2023. Collection of Oakland Museum of California. Courtesy of Joey Terrill and Marc Selwyn Fine Art, Los Angeles, Purchased with Deaccession Funds
We’re thrilled to announce exciting new additions to the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) collection, highlighting the works of two groundbreaking artists: Joey Terrill and Laura Aguilar. These powerful pieces are now on view at Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples and will be showcased until January 26, 2025.
First, we are proud to feature Still-Life with 3 Triumeq Pills and 2 Red Chilis by Joey Terrill. This striking work reflects Terrill’s exploration of rasquachismo, a Chicano aesthetic that celebrates the use of everyday, often humble materials to express powerful cultural and personal messages. Terrill’s art challenges the stigma surrounding gay male sexuality during the AIDS epidemic, using pop-inspired, collage-like techniques to critique the pharmaceutical industry’s commercialization of life-saving medication. Through this lens, he transforms ordinary objects into poignant symbols of survival and resistance.
Grounded #103 Laura Aguilar, 2006-2007 (printed2018). Collection of the Oakland Museum of California. ©LauraAguilarTrustof2016
In Grounded, Laura Aguilar reclaims photography to document the enduring legacies of Indigenous survival. Through her lens, Aguilar illustrates the profound connection between Indigenous communities and Mother Earth, showcasing the resilience of Indigenous cultures that continues to thrive despite the impacts of colonization. Her powerful imagery reminds us of the importance of honoring and preserving these vital cultural ties.
These additions to the OMCA collection are fitting not only for the artistic legacy they represent, but also as objects that speak truth to oppressive powers that their art is galvanized to effect. Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples celebrates the rich, multifaceted stories of Chicanx and Indigenous artists, and these newly collected works will be on view until January 26, 2025.
