When the Ann Foxworthy Gallery in Santa Maria originally penciled in artist and photographer Marcos Dorado for a solo exhibit, it was a year in advance of its opening, gallery director Laura-Susan Thomas told the Sun.
“We try to plan a year or so out, so Marcos Dorado was scheduled to be our first exhibiting artist this fall in person before we had any idea of what was to transpire in 2020,” Thomas said. “I am grateful that Marcos was willing to pivot to the virtual aspect and was up for the challenge in trying a new format in this virtual art space.”
Dorado’s new show, which is now online to view through Friday, Dec. 4, marks the first virtual exhibition presented by the Ann Foxworthy Gallery. Attendees can access the exhibit for free through the Hancock website (hancockcollege.edu/gallery).
“I’m quite happy with exploring the potential of a virtual exhibit. Certainly it offers new possibilities that a traditional exhibit does not,” Dorado said. “I’d describe my show as a mini retrospective of my work given that I included drawings from over 10 years ago, recent drawings, and current photography.”
Through both of Dorado’s chosen media, Thomas said that her first impression of the artist was a powerful sense of individualism.
“There is empathy and insight in the way that Marcos Dorado thoughtfully captures each individual through his drawings or photography,” Thomas said. “I feel Marcos is connected to his subjects on an insightful level and, through his art, finds a way to depict them with respect and honor each person’s individualism.”
One of Dorado’s featured pieces is a self-portrait titled Me, The Mexican Boy, The American Artist, which he created with charcoal, white chalk, and pastel on toned paper. He described the drawing as “a sort of autobiography” in an artist statement.
“At its core, it’s a self-portrait. It’s also a document sharing what an immigrant and family go through,” Dorado said in his statement featured with the piece.
Born in Jalisco, Mexico, Dorado immigrated with his family to the U.S. in 1974. Dorado illustrated his family’s struggles within the self-portrait by including items from his memories—“a Mexican bus ticket, a racist sign common in Fresno up until the late ’60s, a work permit which my dad wanted but had no legal way of obtaining,” he listed.
Aside from drawing, Dorado also aims to use his photography to explore more than 20 other immigrants’ stories in an ongoing project titled Immigrant Me, which began as an exhibit at the Fresno Art Museum in 2018.
“I’m quite passionate about Immigrant Me because at the heart of my work, I’m fascinated with telling stories. During the current presidential administration, a stronger negative rhetoric has developed against immigrants,” Dorado told the Sun. “I aim to help counterbalance this disfavorable perspective. We had to work hard physically, academically, and legally to become Americans as we were not American simply by being born here.”
While Dorado’s new virtual showcase includes both old and recent works, including several selections from Immigrant Me, the artist reexamined each of his older featured pieces, adding new context from his current perspective—especially in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. He completed one featured portrait of his mother, for example, in 2017, but decided to include the piece in his new show, as it has recently taken on a whole new meaning for him.
“The pandemic has led us all to reexamine many of our relationships. I’ve always been close to my mother, who’s now 72. She lives 30 minutes away and I visit her once a week,” Dorado said. “I keep my mask on at all times when I go over. I don’t stay long. I often wonder how lonely and fearful it would be for her to be hospitalized on a ventilator.
“I’m thankful that nearly four years ago, she finally agreed to pose for me,” Dorado added while recalling his mother’s initial reluctance. “For three hours, she knitted and we talked away as I drew her. Afterwards, I worked on the portrait for another 30 hours.”
Send Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood back to the drawing board at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 29 – Nov 4, 2020.