Artist Gabo Mendoza Show Opens, Thursday, June 16 at Galeria Arte de Oaxaca

Your invitation to join Gabo this Thursday, June 16, 7 p.m.

I’ve written about Gabriel “Gabo” Mendoza before. His work might seem whimsical at first look. But it is filled with meaning, emotion, character and ripe for interpretation.

Woven handmade paper painted with a child’s scream or song. You decide.

Gabo’s subjects are street people, many representing the underbelly of Mexico: poverty, disenfranchisement, sex workers who are mothers, children who are homeless, uneducated and uncared for.

Young boys (or are they men?) on the street with artist Gabo Mendoza

Dreaming of bicycles and a way to get away

Gabo plays with language in his paintings. Words and parts of words appear and trail off the paper or canvas, giving a sense of incompleteness, impermanence. Bici is Spanish for bicycle. Where’s the B in the painting above? Broken off or away or a shadow or dream?

The family comes together as a unit of friends, substitute for those who are absent

Portrait of Gabo Mendoza in his Xicotencatl workshop taller

Doesn’t every child want a puppy to play with? or maybe it’s a goat!

And they went into the ark, two by two, one male, one female …