The Goldmark Cultural Center’s Norman Brown Gallery is proud to present “Reclaiming my World, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Goldmark artist Armando Sebastian.
The exhibition is on display from 3 March 2023 to 7 April 2023, with an opening reception on Saturday, 11 March 2023, from 1-3pm.
About the Exhibition
In his exhibition, “Reclaiming my World”, Armando Sebastian creates narrative works to tell the story of his journey. “Growing up in Mexico as the only son in a traditional Hispanic family I felt pressured to choose a manly profession that would please their expectations,” Sebastian says. After coming out and losing most of his friends in the process he made the decision to start a new life in the US, in search of better opportunities, to follow his passion and to pursue his dreams. With vibrant colors and symbols with references to gay poets and music icons, Armando Sebastian takes us through an imaginary journey toward another place in time, an intimate place free from gender codes and cultural boundaries. “This exhibition is about new chapters, beginnings and endings. I’m reclaiming my world. A universe immersed in elements and themes that have inspired my work from the beginning of my painting years,” Sebastian states.
Sebastian chose these lyrics by Steven Morrissey to precede his work as an epigraph.
Ordinary boys, happy knowing nothing happy being no-one but themselves
Ordinary girls, supermarket clothes who think it's very clever to be cruel to you
For you were so different you stood all alone
And you knew that it had to be so
Avoiding ordinary boys Happy going nowhere, just around here
In their rattling cars
Ordinary girls Never seeing further than the cold, small streets that trap them
But you were so different you had to say no
When those empty fools tried to change you, and claim you
For the lair of their ordinary world where they feel so lucky
So lucky, so lucky with their lives laid out before them
They are lucky, so lucky, so lucky
So lucky, so...
About the Artist
Armando Sebastian was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. At an early age he became interested in theater and fashion, which later evolved into his expression through narrative painting. Sebastian moved to the U.S in search of broadening his opportunities as an Artist, to learn English and to follow his passion. He has been exhibiting his work in the North Texas region for the past decade in venues such as the Latino Cultural Center and the Fort Worth Community Arts Center among others, as well as with galleries based in Los Angeles and New York City. In 2017, he was recognized with the Artistic Merit Award granted by the ArtSpace111 in its Fourth Annual Regional Juried Exhibition in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2018, he was included in the juried exhibition, New Texas Talent, at Craighead Green Gallery and was a participating artist in MaricónX, a group show that traveled to multiple cities across the state of Texas. His work has been featured in publications such as the Dallas Morning News and PublicArt magazine among others. Armando Sebastian currently lives and works in Dallas, TX.