Specular Waters

November 15, 2024 — January 26, 2025

Jamie Robertson & Alejandra Regalado
as part of the 2024 Texas Biennial: The Last Sky

Jamie Robertson investigates the landscape of the American South as a living archive of Black life. Beginning with their family’s relationship with the state of Texas and branching outward, Robertson engages the land both physically and spiritually as a primary witness to Black resistance, solace, and power. Through research, photography, and video, their work seeks to give form to the ghostly, unseen, and disregarded by acknowledging its presence in the here and now. Robertson sources archival images from family albums and official archives, activating the past in the present through the convergence of found and original imagery. This fusion of images, combined with oral storytelling traditions, challenges the hierarchy of “official” archives in favor of equality with the vernacular image. In doing so, Robertson’s work redistributes power to knowledge systems that exist outside traditional ways of knowing.

Alejandra Regalado creates intimate connections that explore what lies beneath the surface of the subconscious mind. Driven by a sense of physical and conceptual borders, her works evoke a yearning for an intellectually immersive view into the depths of one's soul and reality.

Together, these artists bring forth a dialogue about identity, memory, and the unseen forces shaping our world. As part of The Last Sky, this show challenges us to consider the aftermath of societal and cultural shifts, echoing the broader themes of the Biennial. Stay tuned for more details about the opening reception, and join us in celebrating the dynamic range of contemporary art in Texas.

Lanecia Rouse Tinsley Gallery at Holy Family HTX 3719 Navigation Boulevard, Houston, TX

Images by Sol Diaz, courtesy of Big Medium.