MCCLA: Xemara – Lo Que No Se Ve (artist talk, perfomance, gallery reception)

Event poster for “Lo Que No Se Ve” featuring a smiling person with long hair and glasses; details about an artist talk and performance at Mission Cultural Center on June 20, 2025.

I’m not sure these days about posting personal things as our communities are publicly experiencing heaviness and grief. I often ask myself about our role as artists in these moments. Even as I’m scheduled to have a final project presentation/exhibit next week, I want to also use the space to invite fellow culture workers, emerging and established artists to come together and perhaps engage in conversation about what it means to be an artist and the work we do especially in this age of mass surveillance.

“Lo que se ve no se pregunta” is famously a phrase by Juan Gabriel when a reporter pryed about his sexuality. While it can be tempting to remain in obscurity especially in these times, I’d like to encourage us, especially our queer communities, to leverage audio and video mediums to document our history. Not only for archival purposes, but to resist erasure.

In this exhibition, “Lo que [no] se ve” or What is unseen,” I hope to impart my reflection and tips to other aspiring, emerging artists or just curious folks on what it means to develop an artist practice and the unseen labor that goes into it. I hope to see some familiar and new faces as well.

📍 Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco @mcclasf

🗓️ Friday, June 20th, 2025

🕧 6 PM to 8 PM