SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Crocker Art Museum is pleased to announce Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective, on view from February 7 through May 4, 2025.Organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of Riverside Art Museum, the exhibition features art by the internationally acclaimed artist duo (and brothers) Einar and Jamex de la Torre. The 42 mixed-media works include blown-glass sculptures and installation art, plus some of the artists’ latest lenticulars with imagery that changes as the viewer moves from side to side.

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, México, and now living both in San Diego and Baja California, brothers and collaborating artists Einar and Jamex de la Torre have navigated life on both sides of the border since they were young and have inherited their own unique vision of the Latinx experience and American culture. Their work is visually complex and infused with humorous elements exploring art, history, and material culture. Working with glass, resin, lenticular prints and found objects, the brothers create work inspired by Mexican folk art, popular culture, religious imagery, consumer culture, and mythology. Many elements of the exhibition, including the title and curatorial framework, try to echo the creative process of the artists, serving as an allegory of their intellectual pursuits, their technical use of materials and media, and their use of wordplay and poetic riddles.

“The title of the exhibition mirrors the artists’ use of wordplay, alluding to the kaleidoscope-like quality of their works and the collision of imagery, themes, and references that comprise their artistic language,” said the exhibition’s curator Selene Preciado. “The artists use critique layered with humor as a tool to unpack the tensions and contradictions of our postcolonial transcultural identity.”

Einar de la Torre said he and his brother don’t exactly consider themselves glass artists, but treat glass as one component in their three-dimensional collages. The result, he said, speaks volumes about the Latino experience in America. “The complexities of the immigrant experience and contradicting bicultural identities, as well as our current life and practice on both sides of the border, really propel our narrative and aesthetics,” he said. “We are truly honored for our work to tour museums across the United States.”

Prior to its installation at the Crocker, Collidoscope was presented at museums throughout the country including the Art Museum of South Texas, the Stanlee & Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, the Philbrook Museum of Art, and the Corning Museum of Glass. The exhibition will continue on to The Mint Museum in South Carolina.

The Crocker will host a variety of exhibition-related programs and classes including the ¡Descubra! free family festival that showcases the extraordinary scope of Latinx art and cultural contributions. Inspired by Collidoscope, the festival serves as a closing ceremony for the exhibition on May 4, 2025.

Live performances and creative art activities celebrate and platform local artists and performers. A series of mini-talks and docent led tours of the exhibition showcase the bi-national and bi-cultural background of artists, Jamex and Einar de la Torre, a pair of brothers whose work connects to issues and ideas often explored in border and Chicano art. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino will be onsite to offer hands-on Create-It! activities as well as highlight local Latino artists. Educators and families can download these activities from the Smithsonian Learning Lab.

Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective is a nationally traveling exhibition organized by The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum (The Cheech) and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino. Support for the national tour has been generously provided by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino. The exhibition was curated by Selene Preciado.