CARA & DIEGO ROMERO: Bearing Witness to the Anthropocene
Curated by Klinton Burgio-Ericson, Ph.D.
October 12 – December 8, 2024, Landmark Gallery in the TTU School of Art
RECEPTION: Monday, October 21, 2024, 5:00-6:30 PM, Art Building Landmark Gallery
CARA & DIEGO ROMERO IN CONVERSATION: Monday, October 21, 2024, 7:00-8:30 PM, Humanities Lecture Hall 001
School of Art proudly presents CARA & DIEGO ROMERO: Bearing Witness to the Anthropocene in the Landmark Gallery during fall 2024. As partners in both life and artistic dialogue, Native artists Cara Romero (Chemehuevi) and Diego Romero (Cochiti Pueblo) address the quandary of the Anthropocene not by passing judgement or falling into despair, but rather by bearing witness to the complexities of living through this period of radical transition in deeply human ways. Although their techniques, styles, and even personalities are quite different, Cara working in contemporary photography and Diego in traditional Southwest ceramics, the Romeros seek to make work that is disarming and approachable through humor, pop-culture references, chic stylizations, and refined finish. Cara and Diego’s work views the Anthropocene not strictly as an ecological or environmental challenge, but rather through the lens of cultural landscapes, their histories, and the futures that might inform them. The exhibition includes twelve ceramic works by Diego and eight large-scale photographs by Cara.
This exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Humanities Center of Texas Tech's 2024-2025 theme: “Celebrating Indigenous Resilience and Cultural Survival: Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Red River War." School of Art proudly presents: Cara and Diego Romero in Conversation immediately following the reception on October 21st. The exhibition, reception, and conversation of free and open to the public.
Landmark Arts Exhibitions and Speaker Programs in the Texas Tech University School of Art are made possible in part with a generous grant from the Still Water Foundation, Austin, Texas. Additional support comes from Cultural Activities Fees administered through the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts. This exhibition has received additional support from the Ryla T. & John F. Lott Endowment for Excellence in the Visual Arts in the School of Art.