Prepare to be wowed when you walk into the Canal Street Galleryยs exhibit Rafael Cauduro: ยSin Fronteras/Without Borders.ย The Mexican muralist and painter is considered among the best living artists in his homeland, and ยSin Fronterasย shows us why. Just 56, Cauduro has managed to advance muralist traditions, blending social commentary with elegant images as always, but losing the trite tendencies that have become common to generations of Mexican artists saddled with Frida Kahlo-itis (no gruesome images of a mustached woman here).
In Cauduroยs work, the more we look, the more we see. The 1995 painting Dos รngeles/Two Angels shows two women, one standing over the other, with a hint of wings framing the image. But as we continue to look at the painting, we discover shadowy skulls layered beneath the womenยs faces. We see more shadowy figures in El Terrible รngel de la Libertad/The Terrible Angel of Liberty, also from ย95. A porch is filled with transparent figures which blend in and out of the background, as if they were apparitions in mid-revelation.
If you havenยt heard of Canal Street Gallery, youยre not alone. The venue is off the beaten art path, just east of downtown, but itยs making a reputation for bringing in dynamic artists who are otherwise rarely seen in Houston. The last show was Leandra Di Buelna Jr.ยs ยLeandraยs World of Fantasy,ย an exhibit of dynamic surrealist paintings. And now, Canal Street has landed an art world coup with ยSin Fronteras,ย as one of only three galleries in the United States to host the show. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays through January 16. 2219 Canal Street. For information, call 713-223-2219 or visit www.canalstreetgallery.com. Free
Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Starts: Dec. 11. Continues through Jan. 16, 2008
This article appears in Jan 8-14, 2009.