Roberto Gonzalez, artist and musician

Roberto Gonzalez (born 1955) is a Chicano artist, curator, and musician. He was a member of the San Antonio-based Con Safo art group in the mid-1970s. As an artist, he has exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally. Gonzalez worked primarily as an abstract artist from the 1970s until the early 2000s, after which time he emphasized pre-Columbian imagery in an effort to engage with his ancestors. He has also worked as a performance artist since 1974. Gonzalez has curated numerous exhibitions, notably at the Carver Cultural Center in San Antonio, where he served as the Fine Arts Administrator (1984-1995). Gonzalez is also a percussion musician who specializes in Pre-Hispanic and African Diaspora music. He has trained with several African Diaspora music masters and has been active in several musical groups.

Biography Born in Laredo, Texas to parents from Coahuila, Mexico, Gonzalez moved to San Antonio at the age of eleven. During his early college years, his professor Mel Casas, at San Antonio College (SAC), invited him to join the Con Safo group. Gonzalez received a B.A. in Painting from Trinity University in San Antonio in 1978. In 1980, he earned a B.B.A. from the University of the Incarnate Word. Gonzalez has been a painter since 1973. In 1974, he began making Performance Art works, making him one of the first Chicano Performance Artists. He has worked as an Arts Administrator/Curator and educator since 1982. Gonzalez worked as a Presenter, in Public Relations, Education Outreach, and Programming. He also has curated over 200 exhibitions at the Carver Cultural Center and other arts spaces in San Antonio. Also, Gonzalez worked for over a decade as an Artist in Residence for many of the San Antonio School Districts. He has been a Musician and recording artist since 1989. He currently is Co-Artistic Director of Son Olividados. He has five music CD's available under the musician name "Xivero" which can be heard on iTunes and other music services. In San Antonio, he participated in Con Safo exhibitions at: Assumption Seminary (1974), Saint Mary’s University (1975), the Institute of Texan Cultures (1975). He was also part of the following Con Safo exhibitions outside of San Antonio: North Texas State, Denton (1974), the University of Oklahoma, Norman (1974), Crystal City High School (1975), College of the Mainland, Texas City (1975).

Solo Exhibitions in San Antonio Source: Untitled, 1986, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 70 inches. "Hotel Nueva Nova," 1990, mixed media on paper, 36 x 24 inches. “Rau,” 2010, acrylic on canvas, 90 x 78 inches. “Cocijo,” 2014, acrylic on canvas, 134 x 70 inches. "El Paso 8/3/19, No Hate, No Fear" (diptych), 2019, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 96 inches (each panel). This diptych has been discussed in several publications in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.

Awards

Indonesian Government's Pemerintah Propinsi Daerah Tingkat I Jawa Barat Award (1986) Texas Commission on the Arts Artist in Residence (1998-2002) Urban-15 Artist in Residence (2002-2003) The San Antonio Department for Culture and Creative Development's “Creative of the Month,” June, 2016