Josue Abraham Garcia, aka “Octoabe,” organized an art exhibition, titled “The Grave Gallery,” at Hinovations Art Gallery in McAllen that featured artists from UTRGV and the Rio Grande Valley.
Garcia, a UTRGV graphic design senior, was inspired by “The Juice Exhibition,” which was held at The Bryan House in Mission last summer, to create his own exhibit.
“‘The Grave Gallery’ is just a collective of artists showcasing and selling their work,” he said. “It’s local artists, mostly students or alumni, and we just got together to come up with a theme that accommodated October and we ran with it and we came up with this.”
Artwork ranged from Garcia’s “How,” which features a naked blue man sitting atop the moon to Miranda De La Torre’s mixed-media self-portrait, titled “The Unwrapped Self,” to Madison Bickerton’s graphic poster, “Noodl Noodles Multiple.”
The artists sold original artworks, stickers, pins and T-shirts, among other items.
Garcia said it was the first art exhibit for many of the artists, and they helped each other build the confidence to showcase their work.
“The most difficult task was definitely getting everyone together because everyone either had class or they had a shift to go to,” he said.
Bickerton, a UTRGV graphic design sophomore and one of 10 artists in the gallery, said Garcia often came to her for advice.
She goes by the moniker of “Noodl,” and was one of the main organizers of “The Juice Exhibition.”
“He’s really taking it all on his own and it turned out pretty great,” Bickerton said.
Bickerton explained how she obtained her moniker.
“So, whenever I was young, I was tall and skinny and people called me ‘Noodle’ a lot as a nickname,” she said. “I kind of took offense to it because it was about my body shape, and it wasn’t something I really liked being called.”
With its negative connotation, she decided to put a little twist to it and now “Noodl” is something that makes her happy.
Much of her art at the exhibit was brand identity, a new thing she is experimenting with.
“I’m obsessed with brand identity,” Bickerton said. “I love logos, I love patterns, the scheme of it, color design.”
A message she shared for artists in the Valley is to be yourself and make art that you love.
“When you design or create art, make sure to be yourself as much as possible and try to create your own unique style, because it’s really hard to find unique stuff,” Bickerton said.
Garcia, who draws and uses markers, oil and acrylics, is inspired by the hip-hop music he listens to. He will visualize the imagery that is in the lyrics and put that on paper.
“I listen to a lot of Lil Peep, Suicide Boys; it’s a lot of emo-rap,” he said.
Garcia’s favorite art piece in the exhibit, “How,” was inspired by musician Joseph Stingley of Mission.
“It’s inspired by one of his songs,” he said. “He says something, like, ‘How can I say I can’t breathe when I’m so close to the moon?’”
De La Torre, aka “Jumexgod,” is a Mission artist, who said she usually uses oil paints with prism colors.
“I’m mostly inspired by other artists and the people around me, because I usually use pictures that I take and pictures from my friends, as well,” she said.
Her nickname comes from an inside joke between her friends.
“Sundays, I would go to the dollar store and I would always pick out that drink, Jumex, and my friends started calling me ‘Jumexgod,’ and that became a thing,” De La Torre said.
Attendee Carolina Villarreal, a communication sciences and disorders sophomore, heard about the art show on Twitter.
“There’s a lot of hidden talent here in the Valley,” Villarreal said.
Garcia urges fellow Valley artists to show their artwork at every opportunity they can get.
“Push your work to try to develop your style,” he said. “And to any younger artists, don’t be afraid to get your work out there.”
Garcia was amazed at the turnout of about 300 people, and plans to have another exhibit soon.
“I didn’t expect this much people to come,” he said. “I overmet my expectations, and I feel good.”
