John Valadez is to the visual arts what William Faulkner, Gabriel García Marquez, and Isabel Allende are to literature. Valadez’ “magical realism” transports the viewer to a world similar to Faulkner’s The Old People; García Marquez’ seminal One Hundred Years of Solitude, and Isabel Allende’s The House of Spirits.

Art collector Dr. David Diaz’ essay – which will be on display at the exhibition - illustrates his personal view of how Valadez’ magical realism has captured him, other collectors, and viewers alike as “prisoners of pleasure.”

John Valadez has been making significant artwork for over 40 years in the Southern California region. His work has come to define an iconography of Chicano experience in the city, using the changing dynamics and reconstructing a mythical allegory that speaks to a unique vision. This has been done through numerous federal and state mural commissions throughout California, Texas, and France. Valadez had a critically acclaimed thirty-five year retrospective at The San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla in 2012. He was given a six-week residency in Bordeaux, France in the Spring of 2014 in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Los Angeles/Bordeaux Sister City art exchange. John was honored with the Vincent and Mary Price Legacy Award from the Vincent Price Art Museum in 2017.

Curated by art historian Isabel Rojas-Williams, John Valadez: No One More Magical, will bring a much-needed magic to the eyes of the viewer.