San Antonio artist and activist Suzy González debuts new portraits in solo exhibition ‘Plantcestors’
Suzy González
“Plantcestors” features 14 portraits of local artists and activists.
Artist and activist Suzy González is launching her newest solo exhibition, “Plantcestors,” at Galería E.V.A. this week.
A portmanteau of the words “plant” and “ancestors,” “Plantcestors” uses actual plant materials as a base for 14 portraits of people based in San Antonio’s arts and activist scenes. González refers to the artists as “based in Yanaguana,” using the name given to the area by its native inhabitants, the Payaya people.
In the creation of these works, González photographed and chatted with her chosen portrait models; gardened, foraged and gathered plant matter; and then pressed, dehydrated, glued and resined several layers of the material to form a base for the paint.
The plants used as a base for the portraits are connected to each work’s subject, representing González’s conviction that the same plants are as meaningful to us now as they were to our ancestors. By connecting to the land, González writes, “we remember, we appreciate, and we reciprocate the gifts that she gives us.”
Prominent San Antonio artists featured in the paintings include Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Kaldric Dow, and Anthony Francis. Also featured in the exhibition are Luminaria Executive Director Yadhira Lozano, Carver Community Cultural Center Executive Director Cassandra Parker-Nowicki and National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Director of Development Karla Aguilar.
An opening reception for “Plantcestors” will be held from 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at Galería E.V.A.
Free, on view by appointment through Mar. 4, Galería E.V.A., 3412 S. Flores St., (210) 503-5663, events.getcreativesanantonio.com.
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