Various Small Fires is proud to present its inaugural exhibition at VSF Texas, the gallery’s newest location situated in Downtown Dallas. Presented in two parts, Texan celebrates the rich contributions Texas-born artists have made to the landscape of contemporary art and offers a homecoming for many of the exhibition's "diasporic" Texans. While claiming one’s Texan heritage can raise complicated associations, the exhibition presents its artists an opportunity to proclaim their ties to the state through a sense of expanded community. Texan: Part I includes work by Will Boone, Rosson Crow, Aaron Curry, Jeff Elrod, Mark Flood, Daniel Rios Rodriguez, Ryan Trecartin, and Jeff Zilm. Texan: Part II will follow and run May 28 - June 25, with work by Hayden Dunham, Puppies Puppies (Jade Guanaro Kuriki-Olivo), Diedrick Brackens, Sarah Zapata, and Baseera Khan.
Conservative political and religious values coupled with an extensive border to Mexico have given rise to contentious issues in the state of Texas, including immigration, womens’ reproductive rights, and legislation impacting the lives of trans citizens. These matters have come to a height in recent months, garnering international attention and becoming increasingly relevant to those, like the artists in this exhibition, who have called Texas home. Like a tattoo that one might prefer to conceal in select situations, being from Texas can be tricky. Texan, however, aims to reinstate a sense of pride and provide VSF’s global audience with an opportunity to reconsider its perception of the state.
Texan: Part I looks to an earlier generation of artists and honors the groundwork laid for those to follow. Though drawing from a wide range of influences and conceptual interests, these artists established careers by challenging the canon of modernism in the disciplines of painting, sculpture, and video.
