“If you had behaved nicely the communists wouldn’t exist,” declared an electronic LED sign hanging on the wall of Ruby City’s newest art exhibition, Water Ways. This sign never relented, scrolling through ominous phrases reflecting upon the instability of the contemporary world, their repetition and movement mimicking the motions of water. Like this LED art installation by New York artist Jenny Holzer, each artwork on display in “Water Ways” ties into the theme of water in increasingly creative ways.
“Water Ways” opened to the public on Sept. 7 and features approximately 50 works ranging from drawings, paintings and prints to sculptures and photographs. These artworks are mostly from the Linda Pace Foundation/Ruby City Collection. The group exhibition was curated by Elyse A. Gonzales, director of Ruby City. Inspired by the newest phase of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park, which is just a walk away from the museum, Gonzales realized “how ubiquitous water is in our lives, how it shapes so much of what we do on an individual and societal level and how ideas, metaphors associated with water can just as easily be found everywhere.”
“Water is an essential part of our lived experiences,” the introduction printed on the wall at the entrance of the exhibit explained. The first prints that you see after this are by San Antonio-based artist Richard “Ricky” Armendariz, and they embody this introduction by depicting an imagined folklore story where the sea is the setting and a whale and fish are the main characters.
Another artwork in this exhibition that beckons you towards it is Luz Maria Sanchez’s “Riverbank.” Created in 2006 during her residency at Artpace San Antonio, an institution founded by Linda Pace, “Riverbank” is made of salvaged clothing, plastic bottles and personal items found along the banks of the Rio Grande. This artwork stretches across the concrete floor of Ruby City, serving as a metaphor for borders and the violence and uncertainty that they can create.
A canvas by New York artist Jim Hodges is covered in a mosaic of perfectly cut mirrors that reflect the viewer, distorting their image like flowing water. Another sprawling canvas by Joey Fauerso, a San Antonio-born and based artist, portrays the restorative qualities of water in contrasting black and white brushstrokes. Lining a hallway of the museum are small maps that illustrate water sources from around the globe. Another wall is adorned with all of the prints from Robyn O’Neil’s 2009 suite titled “There does come a time when laughs become sighs; we put all to rest, we said our goodbyes.” These lithographs convey a variety of complex human themes such as turmoil and serenity, mirroring the variability of water’s diverse forms and uses.
On Saturday, Sept. 9, Ruby City hosted an opening reception where Gonzales and Mona Hatoum, an artist featured in “Water Ways,” highlighted particular pieces and underlying themes of the new exhibition. Gonzales and Hatoum stood under the abrasive LED sign and next to Hatoum’s “Mobile Home II” installation. This artwork condensed an entire household into an orderly, perpetually moving structure. Domestic items such as suitcases, bedrolls and a table and chair moved on suspended clotheslines with the motion of flowing water. By taking away the walls of a home and replacing them with a cycling movement, Hatoum’s artwork completely transformed the idea of water, encompassing what “Water Ways” is all about.
Check out these artworks and so many more, on display at Ruby City for free until July 28, 2024.
