About the exhibition:

Esoteric Americas is a solo exhibition by Ralfka Valentin Gonzalez. Steeped deeply into Mexican indigenous culture, folklore, music, religion and mythology, Ralfka Gonzalez gets his inspiration from the world around him. This collection of paintings, Esoteric Americas, draws from the rich spiritual history of Philadelphia and Mexico, and from the occult readings of Theosophy, P.T. Barnum, and circuses to illustrate the chaos of the present moment. The vibrant, humorous, and political paintings use the mystical and magical narratives of indiginous Mexican culture to respond to contemporary life. Through the Chicano experience, Gonzalez comments on pop culture, value, and tradition with bright colors, mythological creatures, and compelling narrative. Gonzalez created this body of work after moving from Oaxaca to Mexico City, when he felt called to paint the magical powers of indigenous cultures throughout the world.

About the artisT:

Self-taught Chicano artist Ralfka Gonzalez was born in San Antonio, Texas in 1958. Gonzalez is also well known in Philadelphia, where he spent several years in the 1980s and 1990s, participating in exhibitions at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Arthur Ross Gallery, Taller Puertorriqueno, Indigo arts Gallery, Nexus Gallery, Afro-American Museum and The Painted Bride among other places. His mural, El Gran Conjunto del Fin del Mundo can be seen at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.  Gonzalez has also worked for several periods in Chicago and in Oaxaca, Mexico.  In September, 2011 A Seed on Diamond Gallery and Casa de Duende in Philadelphia presented a retrospective of Ralfka's work, Idiots, Icons & Idols:  That Was Then, This Is Now.

Gonzalez’s work has also been exhibited at galleries and museums in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Chicago, New York, and Oaxaca, Mexico. He co-wrote and illustrated the award-winning children’s book, My First Book of Proverbs/ Mi Primer Libro de Dichos, published by Childrens Book Press in 1995. Among his other diverse projects have been the interiors for restaurants in San Francisco and Chicago, graphics for a new label of Mexican mescal, postcard and notecard designs, and the cover art for Sandra Cisneros’ book Loose Women (Random House, 1994). His work was featured in Raw Vision magazine in 1994.