October and through the end of the year, there are also exhibitions at the Blaffer Art Museum; on this occasion it presents two prominent artists of Hispanic origin who explore diverse artistic expressions. In both, the work and the experience they have acquired over time are shown, and their exhibitions carry a touch of reality and current relevance. They are open to any visitor seeking to learn about the work of each artist.
Recall that the Blaffer Art Museum is a free-admission contemporary art museum with no permanent collection, located on the University of Houston campus. Its mission is to create experiences with art and contemporary artists that awaken wonder and curiosity, challenge preconceived ideas and broaden the ways of seeing and thinking, in order to nourish the human spirit and foster empathy, understanding and engagement with the world today.
Artist: María Gaspar
Exhibition: We Press Our Hands to the Steel Curtain (Pressing Our Hands Against the Steel Curtain)
On view: until November 21
“We Press Our Hands to the Steel Curtain” takes its title from Gloria Anzaldúa’s poem and essay “The Homeland, Aztlán/El otro México.” In dialogue with Anzaldúa’s writings, Gaspar addresses walls not only as physical barriers but as structures that mold psychic, social, and cultural landscapes.
The exhibition brings together sculptures, sound works, videos, archival material, and participatory projects born from years of collaborative research inside and outside of prison, revealing the hidden infrastructures of incarceration and the communities they deeply affect. Throughout the show, gestures of physical contact, listening, and collective creation become acts of resistance and repair. The act of “pressing the hands” evokes both comfort and challenge: a simple gesture that insists on connection through systems designed to separate people, and that imagines the possibility of transformation beyond the prison wall.
Artist: Adriana Corral
Exhibition: As Long as Life Endures (Mientras Dure la Vida)
On view: until December 5
The exhibition “As Long as Life Endures” (Mientras dure la vida) is based on the extensive research conducted by Adriana Corral along the Louisiana coast, where she collaborated with members of the Pointe au Chien Indigenous Nation while responding to the region’s ecosystems, subject to rapid changes. A new film, “Terrebonne”—created in collaboration with Janaye Brown—addresses the interconnected crises of environmental degradation and human rights, revealing how land loss, rising waters, and ecological collapse disproportionately threaten Indigenous communities and other groups marked by histories of displacement and institutional abandonment.
In Detail
What: Blaffer Art Museum
Address: 4173 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004
Admission: free
More information: blafferartmuseum.org
