Ollin Mecatl: The Measure of Movements
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 Don Gregorio Antón—Ollin Mecatl: The Measure of Movements
Exhibition Dates: January 14-March 20
Artist Lecture and Gallery Reception: Thursday, February 7.
Lecture begins at 5pm, with gallery reception to follow.
Light Work is pleased to announce the opening of our newest exhibition, Ollin Mecatl: The Measure of Movements, featuring the work of Don Gregorio Antón. Retablos have been part of Mexico's tradition since the seventeenth century. They were originally hung behind the altars of Catholic churches to give thanks or to honor saints, and remain a tradition to this day. Frida Kahlo described retablos as the truest representation of the people's art. Regardless of the often crudely drawn depictions by primarily untrained retablo artists, the votive paintings voiced what was in the hearts of the faithful. Antón creates mystical retablos on copper that look like sacred objects in themselves. They are intimately small objects and sit on stands to be viewed individually. In the words of Cameron Woodall, Antón "explores the possibilities of the spirit and enhances our awareness of its existence. ... His work deals with the meaning of self and the spirit within and around that self."
To create his retablos, Antón draws on memories of his youth-his childhood neighborhood steeped in culture and identity outside of Los Angeles, his challenges in school, and the hope and expression that the discovery of photography offered him. According to John Wood, "Don Gregorio Antón's photographs radiate compassion like the work of no other living artist I know."
Antón is a professor of art at Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Bronx Museum of the Arts; at Nagase Photo Salon in Tokyo, Japan; at the National Center of Photography in England; and at the Meridian Gallery in San Francisco, among many others. His work is featured in the permanent collections at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, among others. He participated in Light Work's Artist-in-Residence program in 2006.
Light Work will host a lecture and gallery reception on February 7, 2008 from 5-8pm to celebrate Antón's exhibition.
[Image by Don Gregorio Antón]
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