UTSA student exhibits nine hybrid folk statues at Blue Star Art Complex
Braulio Ivan Gutierrez Gonzalez’s solo MFA thesis show, running through Nov. 19, blends Mexican alebrijes with zodiac symbols to examine identity.
By Lucas Navarro ·
Blue Star Art Complex in San Antonio is displaying the work of UT San Antonio student Braulio Ivan Gutierrez Gonzalez through Nov. 19. The solo exhibition, titled “De Aquí y De Allá,” opened during the venue’s First Friday event on Nov. 6. It serves as the artist’s MFA thesis project.
The show features nine distinct pieces that combine traditional Mexican alebrijes with elements of the Chinese zodiac. Gutierrez Gonzalez describes these works as “Zodiac Neo-Alebrijes.” Each sculpture represents a specific part of his life, a family member, or an individual. The artist drew from a list of twelve figures after cross-referencing Aztec traditions with the Chinese zodiac wheel, selecting the ones that resonated most with his personal experience.
Gutierrez Gonzalez uses parts theory, a psychological model developed by Richard Schwartz, as the structural framework for the collection. He explained that the approach allows him to address hidden traumas by focusing on different aspects of himself. “Those parts of myself I was able to make into a ‘Neo-Alibrije,’” he said. The nine works collectively illustrate this process of self-resolution.
The artist stated that he investigates how commercial media compresses cultural meaning. “I investigate how media and commercial aesthetics compress cultural meaning, flattening distinctions while intensifying emotional and visual density,” Gutierrez Gonzalez wrote in his artist statement. He aims to show how overlapping cultures create visual and emotional density without erasing distinct identities.
Born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, and raised largely in Brownsville, Texas, Gutierrez Gonzalez navigates the space between two national identities. He rejected the label “Mexican-American” because it felt like prioritizing one culture over the other. “I like to say, ‘I’m Mexican, and I’m American,’” he noted. He added that he has recently come to view both identities as simply part of “America.”
Martin Rodriguez, an Assistant Professor of Instruction and New Media artist, mentored Gutierrez Gonzalez throughout his undergraduate studies. Rodriguez helped secure the exhibition space at Blue Star. Gutierrez Gonzalez is scheduled to graduate with his MFA next month.
The exhibition remains open to the public until the closing ceremony on Nov. 19. Gutierrez Gonzalez hopes viewers leave feeling inspired to “like life a little bit more.”
