VISUAL ARTS + MUSEUMS

DiverseWorks ArtSpace presents Patricia Hernandez: Parody of Light. On view Friday, January 14-February 26, 2011. Opening Reception: Friday, January 14, 2011, 6-9pm.

Houston artist Patricia Hernandez challenges the integrity of America’s most collected artist, Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light, with an exhibition at DiverseWorks ArtSpace, Parody of Light. Within an installation that includes the interior of a home and a shopping mall, Patricia Hernandez critiques Kinkade’s practice of digitally reproducing his images on questionably “collectible” objects while restricting the sale of his original paintings.

Parody of Light critiques the economics of Kinkade’s empire to reveal the contradictions within the artist and his work.

CLOSING DAY EVENT:  On the final day of the exhibition, Parody of Light closes with a “give away” event, what Hernandez has dubbed, “parody for charity”. In exchange for a small donation, visitors can select from a wide range of objects, such as Parody of Light toilet paper, mesquite firestarter balls, or a cozy Parody of Light blanket. Proceeds will benefit Studio One Archive Resource, a local nonprofit founded last year by Hernandez that will help Houston’s alternative art spaces preserve and promote their histories.

Going out of Business Sale!
Date: Saturday, February 26, 2011, 12-6pm
Location: DiverseWorks ArtSpace
Ticket information: Tickets available through Cinema Arts Festival Houston.

About Patricia Hernandez
Patricia Hernandez was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and has lived and worked in Houston since 1985. She received her B.A. in Art & Art History as well as her B.F.A. in Painting from Rice University in 1989 and 1990, respectively. She earned her M.F.A. in Painting from the University of Houston in 2000, receiving her first solo exhibition in 1998. She has exhibited in Texas, Tennessee, New York and Vaxjo, Sweden and has taught as an adjunct instructor of art at the Glassell School of Art, San Jacinto College, Houston Community College, and the University of Houston, Clear Lake.

Parody of Light is her first solo show since 2003 and her first solo exhibition in Houston since 2001. Last year, she founded a nonprofit, Studio One Archive Resource, which will assist Houston’s alternative arts organizations with establishing and maintaining their archives.

About DiverseWorks ArtSpace:
DiverseWorks is a non-profit art center in Houston, Texas dedicated to presenting new visual, performing, and literary art. DiverseWorks is a place where the process of creating art is valued and where artists can test new ideas in the public arena.

By encouraging the investigation of current artistic, cultural and social issues, DiverseWorks builds, educates, and sustains audiences for contemporary art.