The title of the show is inspired by two well-known artists, Lil Wayne and Rachel Hecker.
The title comes from combining lyrics from the song Miss Me by Drake and Lil Wayne, where Wayne states “Man, I got so many styles, I am a group” and Rachel Hecker’s Art League Houston’s 2013 Texas Artist of the Year solo exhibition titled Group Show. She stated in an interview; “I want to give myself more permission to do whatever occurs to me without reservation.” This exhibition features a selection of new works in painting, sculpture, drawing, and performance, largely influenced by my interests in work, play, family, music, abstraction, and affinity for the city of Houston.
I have been listening to Lil Wayne since his 1999 release The Block is Hot and Rachel Hecker was one of my art professors while I was an undergraduate at the University of Houston from 2007 – 2010. Both artists have spent their careers working on a variety of themes and styles that fit their varying interests. They allow themselves to work freely, without any sort of limitation. Throughout my art career, I have done the same. I get excited and inspired by a plethora of subject matter and am always seeking to evolve and explore.
Raul Rene Gonzalez
Raul Rene Gonzalez, born 1981, is a multidisciplinary artist and curator who incorporates a wide range of mediums and methods in his paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, and performance-based work. Gonzalez is a Houston-native, but now lives in San Antonio with his wife and two daughters. Gonzalez earned his M.F.A. in Art from University of Texas San Antonio and a B.F.A. in Painting from the University of Houston. Gonzalez is the current Director and a Resident Artist at Clamp Light Studios & Gallery; and serves as an Artist Advisor for Modern in San Antonio.
Raul’s artwork has been added to art collections such as the National Mexican Museum of Art, the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum, Benson Latin American Collection, The McNay Art Museum, Texas Public Radio, and The City of San Antonio, and others. His work has been featured by Texas Monthly, New American Paintings, Glasstire, and Whataburger, amongst others. In 2021 Gonzalez was selected as the San Antonio Museum of Art’s inaugural Artist-in-Residence and was also named San Antonio Art League & Museum’s 2021 Artist of the Year. In 2022, Raul was awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the City of San Antonio and a 2023 Houston Endowment Jones Artist Award.
Website: www.raulrenegonzalez.com
Instagram: @artistraulrenegonzalez