OPENING RECEPTION

I’d like to veer off the path of traditional, highbrow and collegiate art and step into the world of an individual who encapsulates the true spirit of an unapologetically- artistic life; Mauro de la Tierra. I originally came across Mauro’s work on the streets of Austin, Texas in the graffiti and street art realm. Amongst the typical, redundant and played out graffiti standards of the streets, Mauro brought a certain panache that I was instantly drawn to. His structures and imagery were loose and almost seemed made up on the spot, adding a sense of humbled creativity in an overly egotistical sub culture. However, over the years I’ve watched him develop through different mediums, from street art, to strange story telling portrayed through paintings, photos, sculptures, live and video performances. This guy does it all and with the spirit of the community he has created, Mauro recently celebrated his two year anniversary of finally walking out of a mundane job and into his full time life of being an artist.

I recently had the pleasure to sit down and talk to Mauro for the first time at his mentor, Albert Gonzales’ studio space titled Southtown Art Gallery in San Antonio, Texas. We were constantly interrupted but at the same time graced by the passing of freight trains whose tracks lay immediately next to Freight Gallery and Studios.

Mauro has resided in San Antonio for a majority of his life and continues to thrive in the cities cultural roots, which inspires an underlying tone to much of his art. His style is a form of loose, textured surrealism that animates a combination of nightmares and a dream pressed together with topics that touch on society, class, culture and his personal struggles with alcohol. Because what the hell is art without some raw honesty?

He claims that his “lack of ability to paint comes across as an excuse for style,” and while there is some subtle honesty to that statement, its hard to deny his ability to create fascinating imagery. His brush stokes might not be a classical marvel, but they hold the character of an unapologetic and authentic creator. “My artwork has always been viewed as outcast. It’s not appealing to everyone. It’s really grotesque and people find it disturbing sometimes. I’ve always felt like a black sheep.”

Which brings us into one of Mauro’s side projects; an art collective he and his friend, Glenn Edinburgh, started titled The Black Sheep Exhibition. The collective started with the agenda of showcasing “different artist in the community whose work doesn’t follow traditional art.” What was only intended to be a one-time show, The Black Sheep Exhibition has morphed into an annual showcase, exhibiting a collection of different creators of different mediums, whom come together with the union of performance art.

A part of Mauro’s artist identity correlates with his iconic clown-face makeup he often wears in photos, to galleries and events. “Going out everyone has this high sense of ego, they put up a front and put on this mask. The clown face paint is a resemblance of the inner child and I like to use it to test human relationships and everyday interactions. We are all little kids and fucking weirdos, so express yourself.”