EVITA TEZENO

“I want to take you home. I want you to share my journey, my memories of my childhood and my past experiences. I want you to learn about my family and how they shaped me for who I am.”

                                                                                                                  — Evita Tezeno

Luis De Jesus Los Angeles is very pleased to announce EVITA TEZENO: My Life, My Story, the artist’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition will be on view from April 16 through May 28, 2022. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, April 16th, from 5:00 to 8:30 pm.

Known for her depictions of characters in harmonious everyday scenes inspired by her family, friends and acquaintances, as well as personal dreams and moments from her adult life, My Life, My Story continues Evita Tezeno’s exploration of Black American life through an intimate gathering of members of her family — across time, generations and geography. This new body of work honors and is dedicated to her family.

In a recent interview, Tezeno shared how her personal experience with Covid during the past two years allowed her to examine her own life more closely. “I hate to blame everything on Covid,” she said, “but I and so many others have lost friends and family. And it made me reflect on how rich my history is. I have had my grandparents, I've had my great grandparents in my lifetime, and my life has been so full.”

She traces her story from her maternal and paternal great-grandparents, Louisiana sharecroppers and itinerant workers who picked cotton and migrated to South Texas, to her maternal grandparents who raised her in Port Arthur, to various aunts and uncles and cousins from both sides of the family whose colorful personalities and peculiar habits became imprinted upon her young mind.

Tezeno dips into this vast pool of memories to create her collage paintings on canvas. Richly patterned hand-painted papers, found objects and materials are transformed into scenes of everyday life. She introduces us to her great-grandmother Mary Payton (“Mammie”), who raised chickens and made teacakes, and her paternal grandmother, Edna Tezeno, a “strong praying woman” who could not read but had the bible memorized.

There are also her grandparents, Elizabeth (“Sis”) and Raymond, who raised her. Sis, a conservative and prissy lady — she made Evita’s clothes and left her jars of buttons when she passed — had style and always wore dresses. Raymond took Evita shopping at the White House department store in nearby Beaumont and bought her art supplies. Agnes (Sis’s sister) loved to party and was partial to fancy jewelry. Evita’s parents, estranged at the time, would stop by on their way to Antoine’s or another club to show off their outfits. “They had all the records — Supremes, Isley Brothers, Marvin Gaye, all the latest songs — and I would play the records over and over again and dance in the living room.”

And, there’s Aunt Lucile and Uncle Will in Houston (he was twenty years older). She made her own hats and sewed all her clothes for church — and would mow the yard in pearls and red lipstick. Her house was always immaculate. Evita’s great grandparents on her mother’s side, Big Mamma and Pappa Joe, raised their granddaughter too, Darla, and Evita liked to go to their house and play with other kids.