VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston presents the exhibition Perspectives 167: Jason Villegas.  Opening reception: Thursday, August 13, 6:30-9:00 p.m., Gallery talk with Jason Villegas at 6:30 p.m., On view: August 14 through November 1.

Jason Villegas’s interdisciplinary projects often combine wall murals tinged with assemblage and soft sculpture made from found fabric, with video and, more recently, performance. For Perspectives 167: Jason Villegas, the artist continues his ongoing investigation of the lifecycle of luxury goods to create a site-specific environment made of wall paintings and soft sculptures. In the past, Villegas’s installations have been humorous, yet searing remarks on the absurdity of consumerism—especially those who are economically disenfranchised and desire to mimic wealth with fake designer goods and other faux luxury items. His work also turns inward to his own desire to place himself within contemporary society as both Mexican and American and the struggles that it entails.

This exhibition will be the artist’s first solo museum exhibition.

Jason Villegas was born in Houston, TX (1977) and lives in Brooklyn, NY. He received a BFA from the University of Houston and an MFA from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in 2007. His work has been featured in several group exhibitions including Phantom Sightings, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (2008); Young Latino Artists #10, Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin, TX (2005); Artadia@Diverseworks, DiverseWorks (2005), and The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX (2003). Solo exhibitions include projects at Commerce Street Art Warehouse, Houston, TX; Cactus Bra Space, San Antonio, TX; Plush Gallery, Dallas, TX; Okay Mountain Gallery, Austin, TX; and most recently, Receiver Gallery, San Francisco, CA.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS
All the following events are free and open to the public, and take place at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston unless otherwise noted. Please check www.camh.org  for additional programming and information.

Opening reception: Perspectives 167: Jason Villegas
Thursday, August 13, 6:30-9:00 PM
6:30 PM: Gallery talk with Jason Villegas, exhibiting artist
7:00-9:00 PM: Opening reception

Perspectives Talk: Christine West
Thursday, September 24, 6:30 p.m.
Join us for a Perspectives Talk with Christine Jelson West, executive director, Lawndale Art Center.

Perspectives Talk: Valerie Cassel Oliver
Thursday, October 29, 6:30 p.m.
Join us for a Perspectives Talk with Valerie Cassel Oliver, exhibtion curator and curator, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.

Pictured: Jason Villegas, Impish Animal installation view #1, 2007, Mixed media, Dimensions vary .