Hattitude: Diego Perez
2022-01-15 - 2022-03-26 | Vision Gallery, 10 E Chicago St, Chandler, AZ, 85225, United States
While humor plays an essential role in Diego Perez’s artistic practice, the details and skill in his work are no laughing matter. For this body of work, Perez updates his Baroque style by incorporating everyday contemporary objects into the images. With each brushstroke, Perez’s imagination runs more and more wild as he moves between depicting canaries to traffic cones to everything in between. While the hats portray a sense of absurdity and levity, the faces of the subjects reveal a sense of humanity, making them relatable and accessible to viewers. Further, these hats as fashion statements do not seem that strange compared to Green Bay Packer cheeseheads, Kentucky Derby fascinators, or even Mickey Mouse ears. Perez’s hats serve up familiar flair with fresh attitude.
Si bien el humor juega un papel esencial en la práctica artística de Diego Pérez, los detalles y la habilidad en su obra no son motivo de risa. Para este cuerpo de trabajo, Pérez actualiza su estilo barroco incorporando objetos contemporáneos cotidianos en las imágenes. Con cada pincelada, la imaginación de Pérez se vuelve cada vez más salvaje a medida que se mueve entre representar canarios a conos de tráfico y otra multitud de cosas. Mientras que los sombreros representan una sensación de lo absurdo y la frivolidad, los rostros de los sujetos revelan un sentido de humanidad, haciéndolos reconocibles y accesibles para los espectadores. Además, estas declaraciones de la moda no parecen ser tan extrañas en comparación con las cabezas de queso del equipo Green Bay Packer, los sombreritos fascinadores del Derby de Kentucky, o hasta las orejas de Mickey Mouse. Los sombreros de Pérez sirven un estilo familiar con una actitud fresca.

Opening Reception
Friday, January 14, 6-8pm
Join us for an in-person reception celebrating Hattitude: Diego Perez. RSVP below.
The safety of our staff and community is our highest priority. We will be following the CDC’s recommended protocol to lower our risk for COVID-19:
– Masks and social distancing have enabled us to open our doors to you for this in-person event. We request that all attendees wear a well-fitting mask over their nose and mouth while inside the building, regardless of vaccination status.
– Hand sanitizer will be provided.
– If anyone in your household is not feeling well, we would ask that you refrain from attending this event.
RSVP HereAbout the Artist / Sobre el Artista
Diego Pérez (1987) is a Mexican artist focused on humor, irony, and traditional techniques. He started painting as a teenager and studied his Bachelor degree in the Art School La Esmeralda, the best Mexican art institution, that was founded in 1927 by Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and other Mexican artists. His formative influence is Caravaggio and Rembrandt’s Baroque. Pérez has been living and producing in Phoenix for several years, he has been recognized and awarded on several occasions. For example, in 2017 he won the first place in the international exhibition Conceptions Arts in Los Angeles, and the first place in the juried exhibition The Sunniest Place in Earth by The Yuma Art Center, and he has been awarded twice by Carmody Foundation Art for Good Project. Now, he is working on a Valley Metro commission. He has designed four major metal structures for the South Extension of the Light Rail in the Broadway/Central station in Phoenix.
As a Mexican immigrant in Phoenix, his visual narrative has evolved through the years. He had been more concerned with displaying his cultural heritage through a colorful and vibrant eclecticism that incorporates Indigenous and Latino influence but also related to American culture. He looks for new popular icons that inspire people to inquire about their own environment and space.
Diego Pérez (1987) es un artista mexicano enfocado en el humor, la ironía, y las técnicas tradicionales. Él comenzó a pintar cuando era adolescente y obtuvo su licenciatura en la Escuela de Arte La Esmeralda, la mejor institución mexicana de arte, que fue fundada en 1927 por Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo y otros artistas mexicanos. Su influencia formativa es el barroco de Caravaggio y Rembrandt. Pérez ha estado viviendo y produciendo en Phoenix durante varios años, ha sido reconocido y premiado en varias ocasiones. Por ejemplo, en 2017 se ganó el primer lugar en la exposición Conceptions Arts en Los Ángeles, y el primer lugar en la exposición con jurado The Sunniest Place in Earth por The Yuma Art Center, y ha sido galardonado dos veces por la fundación Carmody Foundation Art por Buen Proyecto. Ahora, él está trabajando en una comisión para Valley Metro. Ha diseñado cuatro estructuras metálicas grandes para la Extensión Sur del Tren Ligero en la estación Broadway/Central en Phoenix.
Como inmigrante mexicano en Phoenix, su narrativa visual ha evolucionado a través de los años. Él se había preocupado más por mostrar su herencia cultural a través de un eclecticismo colorido y vibrante que incorpora la influencia indígena y latina, pero que también está relacionado con la cultura estadounidense. Él busca nuevos íconos populares que inspiren a las personas a preguntarse sobre su propio entorno y espacio.
Exhibition Photos

Creative Drive: 2021 Traffic Control Box Artists
2022-01-15 - 2022-03-26 | Vision Gallery, 10 E Chicago St, Chandler, AZ, 85225, United States
Image by Yuke Li
With Creative Drive, we are bringing art from the streets of Chandler into the gallery! To celebrate the 16 new traffic control box wraps we installed in 2021, we invited the participating artists to exhibit an artwork at Vision Gallery. The resulting exhibition is one that illustrates the range of creative talent in this project that celebrates the vibrancy and welcoming attitude of Chandler.
Opening Reception
Friday, January 14, 6-8pm
Join us for an in-person reception celebrating Creative Drive!
The safety of our staff and community is our highest priority. We will be following the CDC’s recommended protocol to lower our risk for COVID-19:
– Masks and social distancing have enabled us to open our doors to you for this in-person event. We request that all attendees wear a well-fitting mask over their nose and mouth while inside the building, regardless of vaccination status.
– Hand sanitizer will be provided.
– If anyone in your household is not feeling well, we would ask that you refrain from attending this event.
Exhibition Photos

Radical Happiness: Lex Gjurasic
2022-01-15 - 2022-04-15 | Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler, AZ, 85225
Over the last year and a half, the pandemic has left many people in emotional limbo. As a result, many have sought out coping mechanisms both old and new. Tucson-based artist Lex Gjurasic has stayed buoyant by continuing to do what she has been doing for decades—creating art at an extraordinarily prolific pace. Gjurasic’s recent Flower Mounds series hearkens back to her childhood, when she found herself in the hospital quite often and soothed herself by obsessively getting lost in the inner world of her imagination. As an adult, she now activates her passion for drawing flowers to combat anxiety, which propels her practice and improves her mental health. Through her obsessive process, Gjurasic actively strives towards radical happiness and hopes that others might also find levity and a path to joy – so c’mon and get happy, y’all!
Exhibition Programming
Make and Take: Painted Flower Pots
Saturday, February 26, 1-3pm
Chandler Center for the Arts
On Saturday, February 26 from 1-3pm, meet artist Lex Gjurasic and paint your own flower pot inspired by Radical Happiness at the Chandler Center for the Arts! Once your pot is painted, representatives with the Maricopa Native Seed Library will help you plant it with seeds for a native plant to take home. All ages welcome, and all supplies provided. This activity is self-led and first come, first serve until supplies run out.
This event is inspired by Radical Happiness by Lex Gjurasic, which showcases Gjurasic’s colorful art that she makes to improve her mental health. Come meet the artist and see the exhibition during this fun event!
RSVPArtist Talk with Lex Gjurasic: Finding Levity through Creativity
Thursday, March 31, 5:30pm MST
Virtual via Zoom
Get a peek inside Radical Happiness artist Lex Gjurasic’s head! On Thursday, March 31 at 5:30pm Gjurasic will host a virtual artist talk sharing insights about her creative process, material techniques, and using artwork as a meditative, therapeutic practice. This event is free and will take place via Zoom. Please register at the button below to receive the link to participate.
RegisterExhibition Photos
