Art exhibit reception for ‘Isabel Martínez: Un diálogo en arte y cultura’ to be held at CSU Channel Islands on March 5

CAMARILLO — The art exhibit “Isabel Martínez: Un diálogo en arte y cultura” will open with a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 5 at CSU Channel Islands.

The exhibit, continuing from March 5 through April 4, celebrates everyday women in Mexico by painting them as manifestations of divine beings. “Everybody has gods and goddesses inside,” Martinez stated in a media release. She integrates cultural and historical elements from her native Mexico in her work such as painting “mestiza” (mixed race) women as manifestations of the Virgin of Guadalupe; the Aztec fertility goddess Coatlicue; and as a female sage or folk healer called a “curandera.”

Martinez also uses the shape of the cross in her work, “not as a religious icon,” she said, “but as a universal symbol that represents human beings and spirituality.”

Martinez is a graduate from La Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas in Mexico City as well as California State University, Los Angeles.

A “Dialogue with Artista” wil be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 12.

Both events will be held at Napa Hall Art Gallery.

Contact Jose Alamillo at jose.alamillo@csuci.edu, call 805-437-2772 or click on http://art.csuci.edu/gallery or click here for more information.