Endlessly Dreaming was an exhibition conceived before the impact of COVID-19 became a distressing reality. Based on a lyric from Selena’s 1995 hit song Dreaming of You, this exhibition was conceived as an exploration of the lyrical sweetness of hope and longing from a personal but political positioning via unconventional materials and methods. The included artists create heavily saccharin works and alluring visions that pull us into their depths and engage us into dialogues with the realities, both joyous and uncomfortable at times, of those who are brown, queer, and/or immigrant. 

Influenced by her mother’s cake decorating techniques, Yvette Mayorga’s frosted paintings evoke a soft luxury that is fashioned from the luscious and theatrical style of Rococo but also the extravagance of quinceaneras, pop aesthetics, and lavish chucherías. Mayorga implores these techniques and stylings as a questioning of the consumerism and exploitative nature of the American dream that is an aspiration amongst many immigrants and working-class communities. Through an overstimulated and overly refined sugary sweetness that makes your teeth wince, she critiques the investment of labor and desire of these dreams, inciting a grandeur assessment on the excessive nature of capitalism and bourgeoisie status that so many try to attain.

Glitter, crochet, and fluffy fabrics enliven the works of Moises Salazar. Their works reflect a deeply personal sentiment and longing for the spaces, especially safe ones, where their body is able to exist without conflict or question. Salazar grew up in Chicago as a first-generation Mexican American where they were put into friction between the multiple communities they exist in as a non-binary queer immigrant. Their paintings are soft, gentle, and colorful spaces that offer a relieving sense of protection. They create crocheted frames around their glittered and furry painted canvases using the same generational technique and knowledge of their family, giving us an intimate but momentary vision of comfort. 

Traditionally a symbol of norteño and cowboy swagger, the fringes and tassels on Jose Villalobos boots are as much a cultural signifier as they are a protective shield against the pervasive machista and homophobic oppression he encounters from his communities and society overall. Villalobos brings a soft virility to the rough and tumble boots that he breakdowns, revealing a softness and queer sensibility that has always existed in the high heel, pointed toes, and decorative designs. His de/reconstructed boots reveal the distressed nature of existing in and trying to conform to the patriarchal and religious structures of society - calling them into question and protesting against their oppressive nature.

-Marissa Del Toro