Eric J García: Aim High!

Art Building Landmark Gallery

February 17 - April 21, 2024

Reception: Saturday, February 17, 2024, 5:00-7:00 PM

New Mexico artist Eric J. García, who is known for using history and a graphic style to create political art that confronts our understanding of the present, explores sci-fi concepts like space, aliens, and invasion through the historical lens of colonialism and expansionism.

Aim High! is a multi-media exhibition consisting of an interactive video game, various ink illustrations (using cochineal and juice from prickly pear “tunas” as ink) and other works that explore sci-fi concepts of space or alien invasion through the historical lens of colonialism and Western expansionism in the United States. His artworks reimagine historical episodes of colonialism, erasure, and genocide in science fiction backdrops. One of the video games titled Space Invaders imitates the popular sci-fi arcade game of the same name, and was created in collaboration with Professor Rafael Fajardo from the University of Denver in Colorado. The classic alien icons from the original game are replaced by colonial symbols created by García, such as knights on horseback, cannons, cathedrals, etc. Several of these icon designs are repeated in García's ink drawings for the show, which also reference other known sci-fi invaders and historic explorers.

After receiving his BFA with a minor in Chicano Studies from the University of New Mexico, Eric García went on to complete his MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. García has exhibited nationally, and his work can be found in the collections of the National Museum of Mexican Art, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. As an Air Force veteran and also a Chicano, García's personal experiences fueled this particular body of work and exhibition theme. García's work on this project began while he was Artist in Residence at Roswell and continued when the body of work was exhibited at Ogden Contemporary Arts in Utah in 2023.

 

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. Additional support comes from Cultural Activities Fees administered through the J.T. & Margaret Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts.