Jaime Muñoz

Modern Times

November 10 - December 19, 2020

CHECKLIST AVAILABLE HERE

The Pit is pleased announce “Modern Times”, a new solo exhibition by Pomona based artist Jaime Muñoz. The exhibition consists of new seven new paintings, along with an installation of four hanging banners, and a three-channel video. The exhibition will be on view by appointment only from November 10 to December 19th, 2020. This is the artist’s first exhibition at the gallery.

In “Modern Times”, Muñoz elaborates on the repercussions of colonialism that inherently exploit humanity and nature under the myth of modernity. What began as a focus on blood memory, evolves into a broader discussion that exposes the contradiction of capitalist progress. But within Muñoz’ works, this narrative does not come without a nearly supernatural sense of aliveness and hope, in the possibility, to unhinge from the commodified body.

In his work, we find a reflection on the concept of time, that provokes its audience to review the past, evaluate the present, and envision transcendence as we peer into the future. Furthermore, Muñoz examines the relationship of time with the commodified body, as having a looming expiration date, in a mechanised world. Also central to his visual language are objects of Mesoamerican sculpture juxtaposed with logos of used auto part salvage yards, along with the consistent showcase of Toyota pickup trucks. His concept of “Toyoteria,” embodies the shared experience of the R-Series Toyota mini truck as utility for an immigrant working class subculture. This emblem serves to push the boundary between man and the machine, where identity merges with the vehicle. On Muñoz’s Toyotas, cultural signifiers spell out messages that create a dialogue around environmentalism, cultural identity, and the fight for peace and equality. These symbols inspire new understandings of spiritual context, monuments, and critique the impact of hyper-capitalism. 

In his deeply intimate reflections on the human condition, we also find an impeccable precision in his layers of color and glitter that give his works a provocative, illuminating quality. Muñoz’s technique, inspired by his background in commercial art, displays intricately planned layouts with multiple layers, textures, and grids. As we look into each visual narrative we find depictions of present day experience, alongside ancient relics. This intermingling of the past and the present blend our reality and position us to re-imagine the possibility of a new mythology. In this advanced mythology we find deep awareness that instinctively follows an ancestral wisdom or blood memory that depicts a new level of consciousness--with the ability to free its audience. In this way, each work maintains an abundance of meticulous measurements while also reflecting a powerfully intuitive train of thought--instigating us to question our own position, from within our world--requesting of us to imagine the cost of liberation.

-Rochelle Martin

Appointments to visit the gallery are required, and can be made on our website. www.the-pit.la