IN THE WINDOW | Julio César Morales | La Luz Entre Nosotros/The Light Between Us

IN THE WINDOW
Julio César Morales
La Luz Entre Nosotros/The Light Between Us, 2021

Gallery Wendi Norris is pleased to present Julio César Morales’ La Luz Entre Nosotros/The Light Between Us as part of our IN THE WINDOW series at gallery headquarters, 8 Octavia Street, San Francisco.

At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Morales had a dream that would haunt him for months: Meeting a stranger in the midst of a crowd, he opened his arms to hug them. They answered violently, slapping him full in the face for getting too close. He awoke startled.

La Luz Entre Nosotros/The Light Between Us is the artist’s response to that dream. It refers simultaneously to the measures that have separated us since March of 2020 and the emotional forces that continue to bind us together. It is his rejoinder to our collective experience of anxiety, uncertainty, and unrest, and a reminder of the irrepressible hope that illuminates the human spirit.

Morales grew up on both sides of the Tijuana/San Diego border; and he thinks, speaks, and dreams in both English and Spanish. Fabricated in neon with each phrase mirroring the other, 79 x 46 ¼ x 5 ½ inches (200.6 x 117.3 x 13.9 cm) La Luz Entre Nosotros/The Light Between Us is installed with an empty window pane at its center—a space that symbolizes borders both real and imaginary and their ultimate, blind futility.

The installation includes a new sound composition by Los Jaichakers (Eamon Ore-Giron and Julio Cesar Morales), accessed via a publicly posted QR Code. For Morales, during these months of extreme isolation, music served as a reminder of its unique ability to open us up to others and the world outside our windows. “With all the hours spent at home over the last year, I had the chance to mine my record collection and get reacquainted with artists I hadn’t listened to in a long time,” recalls Morales. “Rashaan Roland Kirk was known to play 3 or 4 saxophones at the same time and pass out plastic toy instruments to encourage the audience’s participation. His debut album, The Inflated Tear (1967), foreshadowed the social climate of his time. 1968 would be a year that included the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the passing of the Civil Rights Act, and student riots around the world. For me, this album and his Blacknuss (1972) connected strongly to the uprisings and unrest of 2020, while leaving an urgent, hopeful, and affirmative message.”

The installation will be on view and accessible to the public through Spring 2022.