Opening: Brandon Maldonado: Incantations in Crisis

Being primarily of Northern New Mexico descent, Brandon Maldonado has a fascination with the history and culture of the land, as well as its living and historical ties to the story of Mexico and its mestizo legacy. In his much anticipated latest solo show with Lapis Room, he continues his exploration of these cultural roots while diving deeply into personal struggles that perhaps resonate universally, too.

“Since the beginning of this year—and even before—the world has been in turmoil. There’s a growing sense of uncertainty about the future: climate change, economic instability, the return of Trump to office, ongoing wars in Palestine and Ukraine—the list goes on. It has become increasingly difficult to stay focused, to stay positive. Crisis, in one form or another, seems to be on everyone’s mind.

Amid these larger global struggles, my own life also fell into crisis. I watched my long-term relationship dissolve before my eyes. I had to start over, from a dark and uncertain place—with my life packed into boxes and a mat on the floor for a bed. But art has always been a reliable refuge for me. A meditation. A grounding practice that began when I was a child, long before I understood its deeper purpose. Back then, I just thought it was fun to make pictures. Now I see that the act of painting is a kind of alchemy—transforming simple materials into something others perceive as precious, like gold.”