Strand Gallery
April 24 - July 11, 2021
ArtWalk Extended Hours - Saturday, April 24, until 8PM
Exhibit-Connect: Heyd Fontenot in conversation with Kristian Salinas and Dennis Nance
Saturday, June 12, 2021
2-3 PM (in-person at GAC - limited capacity)
Click here for more information and to register.
A recording of the conversation will be shared on this page following the event.
This exhibition is supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Texas Commission on the Arts.
Heyd Fontenot
Sacred Order of Eternal Wounds
Heyd Fontenot’s exhibition, Sacred Order of Eternal Wounds, delves into the myth of American identity to explore the politicized topics of gender, sexuality, queer identity, and what the artist calls "the false-promise of comfort-in-conformity." Fontenot is well-known for his stylized and delicate nude portraits. This exhibition debuts new visual experiments in figuration, illustration, and decoration in a series of mural-scaled paintings. Blurring the lines between art gallery and theatrical prompt, this immersive installation transforms GAC’s main gallery into a space reminiscent of a secret fraternal order’s ceremonial chamber. This environment draws on the artist’s background in film and set design and is populated by images of contemporary figures, archetypal characters from mythology, and a codex of symbols and patterns. Fontenot’s work navigates perceptions of the human body as a political site that is conflicted by religious and political institutions, mass media, consumption, and social norms. This "sacred order" celebrates queer space in the face of nonstop social outrage motivating a newfound public dialogue and a growing awareness that tradition and nostalgia are oppressive forces.
Heyd Fontenot is a Texas-based multidisciplinary artist and curator whose career has included roles in advertising, theater, television, film and digital media, as a graphic artist, set designer, art director and producer. He has held positions as Director of CentralTrak (2011-2016), UTDallas' international artists' residency program and exhibition space, and was recently appointed as Director of the San Antonio non-profit art space Sala Diaz where he was previously a Casa Chuck resident artist (2019). Widely known for his figurative paintings and drawings, Fontenot recruits his friends and artistic peers as models and has in this process created a comprehensive portrait of his community over the last two decades. Fontenot has been awarded the Dozier Travel Grant through the Dallas Museum of Art, the Mastermind Award from the Dallas Observer, been named as one of 100 Dallas Creatives, and while directing the gallery at CentralTrak it was named “best art space” by both DMagazine and the Dallas Observer and top ten galleries by Glasstire and Culturemap. Fontenot has exhibited his experimental films at festivals nationally and internationally. His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions in Texas and the United States, including exhibitions at Mountain View College, Dallas, TX (2014); the Wrong Store, Marfa, TX (2013); Beige, Memphis, TN (2013); Allegheny College, Meadville, PA (2012); Inman Gallery, Houston, TX (2011); Rollins College, Winter Park, FL (2011) and the University of Maryland, College Park, FL (2010). As a working artist, Fontenot has participated in multiple residencies and is an active exhibiting artist represented by Conduit Gallery in Dallas.
