A Man in the Shadows: Mariano Gonzales

On view Feb. 27, 2015 — March 19, 2015

Mariano Gonzales has a reputation for fearlessness. He is bold and experimental as artist, activist, and educator at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

This fearlessness was evident in his early work as a metalsmith, and it pervades his more recent work exploring digital printing on everything from metal to tortillas. Gonzales' artwork explores and expresses his political views. For him, art making is an opportunity for observation and critical commentary.

In this solo exhibition, Gonzales’ collection of his newest digital prints on metal transform flat images into three-dimensional and bas-relief artworks. Gonzales says the works in this exhibition are his “reflections on seeing and being seen.” Some of the works appear to be looking at the observer, and some become kinetic when viewed from different vantage points.

A Texan by birth with deep Latino roots, Gonzales has resided in Alaska since 1959. Trained professionally at the Rhode Island School of Design, he has exhibited widely throughout Alaska. His works are in several public collections, including the Anchorage Museum.

The Patricia B. Wolf Solo Exhibition Series is presented with generous support from the Alaska State Council on the Arts; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; the Municipality of Anchorage; and the Anchorage Museum Foundation’s Alaska Airlines Silver Anniversary Fund.