Diego Romero vs. the End of Art

Growing up, Diego Romero really wanted to learn pottery, although he fantasized about becoming a comic book artist. It was the fusion of these two dreams that paved the path to his future.

Romero described his career, saying that “fate brought me to Otellie Loloma who taught me traditional pottery, which deep down, I had always wanted to learn. Half Berkeley boy, half Cochiti man — making art on the perimeter. Being true to my imperfectness and honest unto myself has helped guide this journey of being an artist for 30 years now.”

His singular style, shown in pots and lithographs, reflects this multifaceted identity. His artistic skills evolved during his education at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, the Otis Art Institute in Los Angles, and a master’s program at University of California, Los Angeles.

Diego Romero vs. the End of Art is the third exhibition and largest assemblage of his work to date exploring Native identity and history. It is featured at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture through 2020. Romero combines Cochiti and other Indigenous pottery techniques with graphic art influences to create a narrative combating a metaphorical villain, the End of Art.

Curator Antonio Chavarria brings the shadowy concept dubbed “the End of Art” to the forefront of the exhibition alongside Native identity. With forty works on view, the explores themes of war, women, family, substances and art.

The exhibition includes works from Romero’s family members, demonstrating their influences on each other. Video interviews discussing Romero’s journey as an artist will play throughout the exhibition and the exhibition guide is presented as a graphic novel, mirroring the decorative world on view.

Tuesday–Sunday 10 a.m.–5 pm., $7 for NM residents with ID, $12 for non-residents; free for children 6 and under. The First Sunday of each month is free for NM residents with ID. Wednesday are free for NM resident seniors (60+) with ID

Whether you couldn’t make the event, or you want to go back and hear it again, MIAC’s lectures on Native American Arts & Culture are available for download: indianartsandculture.org/audiorecordings/