Timed to coincide with the surge of international tourists arriving in town for the World Cup, Barry Whistler Gallery’s “Welcome to Texas” shows off the gallery’s depth, representing 17 different Texas artists and diverse styles of work.
While locals are aware that the mythical “Texas” known worldwide doesn’t always match up with lived experience of the actual Texas, the artists here cover a range of perspectives on the subject.
At one end of the spectrum, works by members of the Dallas Nine hint at an earlier version of the state mythology: There are two prints by Jerry Bywaters, including a Texas Ranger from around 1940, as well a 1955 drawing of an eagle by Otis Dozier. At the other end, robust abstract works from the 2000s by John Pomara and Otis Jones suggest a more cosmopolitan vision in which the mythical Texas is present only implicitly, if at all.
Other contemporary works, including a provocative pairing of Luis Jimenez’s Rodeo Queen with Allison V. Smith’s Maine Anjou Princess, Dallas, Texas 2010, as well as a Rauschenbergian sculpture by Fort Worth-based Francisco Josué Alvarado Araujo, suggest how the myths of Texas continue to form fertile ground for artistic reinvention and reinterpretation.
“Welcome to Texas: Texas Artists 1933-Present” continues through July 25 at Barry Whistler Gallery, 315 Cole St., Suite 120, Dallas. Open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5:00 p.m. and by appointment. Free. 214-939-0242. barrywhistlergallery.com.