Dominick Porras: Silvery Synthesis

The Roswell Museum is pleased to announce the exhibition Dominick Porras: Silvery Synthesis. The exhibition will be on view from June 15 through Aug. 18 in the Roswell Museum’s Entry Gallery. An artist talk is scheduled for Friday, June 14, at 5:30 p.m. followed by a reception in the gallery.

“Immersed in the milieu of older Chicano artists during my formative years, I imbibed the ethos of Rasquachismo – a philosophy rooted in the art of being resourceful and creatively utilizing whatever materials are at hand or readily accessible,” Porras says.

Chicano scholar Tomás Ybarra-Frausto coined the term Rasquachismo in 1989. The Mexican-Spanish word “rasquache,” originating from Nahuatl, means “poor” or “vulgar.” The term was originally a derogatory slur linking poorer people with a “tacky” design aesthetic, but it has been reappropriated as a point of pride. It is also a symbol of resistance to cultural assimilation, sociopolitical marginalization, and economic exploitation.

In his Silvery Synthesis works, Porras explains, “I have incorporated a rasquache aesthetic by employing netting on abandoned silkscreen frames and repurposing 35mm film cassettes into sculptural works… Silver is both a color and precious metal. It is also the active element in photography that is chemically altered to react as a light sensitive emulsion. As the silver halides interact with photo chemistry, a type of rusting occurs which produces silvery tonal ramps, resulting in a reflective and shimmery quality that the silver inherits. Alas, silvering is reflective of the aging process in both photography and existence.”

Currently living in Sacramento, Calif., Porras completed his Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M., in 2023. Porras has been active as a community artist for the past 17 years. In 2005, he co-founded Sol Collective, a community center and cultural hub in Sacramento that works to amplify unheard voices. Porras was awarded a 2023- 2024 Youth Speaks Emerging Artist Fellowship and is a 2024 artist-in-residence in the Visual Arts residency program at the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity in Alberta, Canada. Porras has exhibited his work in numerous exhibitions at venues and his show Silvery Synthesis at the Roswell Museum is the artist’s first solo exhibition at a museum since receiving his MFA. For more information about the artist, visit dominick-porras.webflow.io and his Instagram page @celestial_coyotl.

The Roswell Museum is at 1011 N. Richardson Ave., just north of the Roswell Convention Center. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit roswellmuseum.org or call 575-624-6744.