From Texas Public Radio:
The McNay Art Museum’s Stieren Center’s current exhibition is the output of a pair of very talented brothers: Jamex and Einar de la Torre.
Curator René Barilleaux said that as you walk into reception, you instantly get a first taste of the artists’ style. “They’re first greeted by a very large wall, on which there’s the image of a of a church, of the facade of a church. And over the trick facade, there are five lenticular photographs,” he said.
Lenticular photos are the kind that if you stand still, they appear as one image, but if you move, the elements of the photo completely change.
“And these photographs are made specifically for the McNay, and specifically for that wall,” he said.
This is a recurring theme in the exhibition. The de la Torre brothers didn’t just ship a truckload of framed art here. They created a lot of it right there at the McNay.
“We’re presenting an exhibition of the de la Torre brothers, who work between Southern California and northern Mexico,” Barilleaux said. “And they’ve created a number of site-based installations just for the McNay using their signature blown glass, lenticular photographs, video collage, all the kinds of things they’re known for, where they widely scavenge across cultures and geographies and bring together works in what they like to call ‘more is more.’”
The exhibition is packed with items which compel you to slow down.
“The installations are very dense, with imagery, some of the things they make, some of the things they find in flea markets and antique stores,” he said. “They really love to put things together in surreal and unusual ways that give new meaning to everyday familiar objects.”
The centerpiece of the exhibition dominates one of the three exhibition rooms. It’s a dining table, and it’s enormous.
“This was kind of an enlargement of a piece they had done before in another exhibition,” he said. “But we give them free rein to create a really massive 20-foot long banquet table that’s just covered with all kinds of objects, all kinds of plates and utensils, but also small sculptures, that they really that show they’re kind of quirky, and sensibility, there’s always a sense of humor in their work.”
A hallway between exhibition rooms at the de la Torre brothers’ exhibit.
Courtesy McNay Art Museum
The minute detail of the table is mesmerizing. Its theme is the haves and the have nots.
“They made three amazing chandeliers, that light the table. And then the and the table is really kind of a table of the haves and have nots,” Barilleaux said. “So the top of the table was set like a fabulous banquet. And then the underside of the table — it’s almost like there’s a kind of an intestinal kind of sculptural elements that really make you kind of like think about who has and who hasn’t,” he said.
While many artists tailor exhibits to the space available, the degree to which the de la Torre brothers customized their exhibit specifically to San Antonio is a major part of this one.
“They spent about a month here, actually making art in our space. So it’s really great to kind of work with them and have our whole crew work with them on a day to day basis as they were making things and making decisions about the whole installation,” he said. “In the course of the process of installing they were actually creating.”
The de la Torre brothers’ exhibit.
Courtesy McNay Art Museum
The brothers told comedian and art collector Cheech Marin how their perspective fueled their art.
“Being born in Mexico and also being raised in Southern California, we had the ability to see both of them from the insider/outsider perspective,” Jamex said.
“And in our daily lives we cross the border at least twice a week … on both sides we feel at home, and both enrich our work,” Einar said.
Barilleaux said the McNay liked what they created so much that they bought a pair of pieces to remain in their permanent collection. “We’re very fortunate to have acquired one of their large glass sculptures, and also one of their lenticular photograph montages,” he said. “So their work will live on here in San Antonio and at the McNay as part of our collection.”
