At just 25 years old Arlette already has an impressive resume. Having created Kendrick Lamar’s full custom look for his 2022 tour, her career is quickly gaining recognition. This past week, she opened José, her first solo exhibition, at Rose Easton in London, on view through November 4. The show examines the meaning of innocence through the lens of family. Arlette sees this show as a full circle moment, a visual love letter and tribute to her father.
Throughout the exhibition, you’ll notice the depth of Arlette’s relationship not only with her father, but also with art. “I was 17, and I had to look for myself economically. I started getting into photography, and apparently, I was good,” she says. “I won money because of my photographs, and I had an opportunity to share my pictures at a festival in France. It was not about me saying that this is what I want. I just started building and doing what I knew.”
Conceptually, José explores major life themes like core beliefs, culture, religion, relationships, and tender moments of quiet meditation. Growing up might alter our innocence, but José captures art’s power to help us preserve a sense of wonder. Arlette says, “The show talks about innocence. It talks about childhood. I think it shows how once you have this innocence, you can build your own world, and you can have the sense of creating spaces that are personal and majestic.”
The exhibit also interrogates the intersections of art and fashion, and the often-disguised reality of a gallery as a retail space. A vending machine serves as a central feature of the show. “I think art can be unachievable because of the price. And there’s always this conversation about fashion and art. I’m unable to say exactly who I am; it’s up to people to digest my work, and I wanted to add that to my show because it’s part of my story.”
And so the vending machine, offering art objects and jewelry pieces, was added to the show as a nod to her fusing the roles of artist and designer. “The vending machine is part of how I ended up in this space.”
As to the media Arlette uses, the show spotlights her signature use of silver metals as well a new material: volcanic rock. “You often see metals within the church through relics and artifacts that carry a lot of meaning and emotions. Growing up around this, it came naturally to my visual language,” she says.
“I believe metal and rock can become relics and artefacts that transcend over time. I have always worked with metal, but in this show, I wanted to bring in the volcanic rock from Jalisco, Mexico, where my mother is from,” she says. “It has the same presence and strength as metal and represents parts of my origins, which is deeply meaningful to me.”
Themes of Catholicism are evident throughout the exhibit, reflecting the artist’s religious background as passed down from her father. The gothic-inspired shapes used in Arlette’s sculptures are a slight nod to the exhibit’s spiritual backbone. “I was raised in Catholicism, but I have my own relationship with God,” she says “It also comes with my own type of faith. That’s why these symbols are there. For me, that brings me to the space of prayer and gratefulness.”
Many of the sculptures include etchings of text in Spanish. “They have many phrases that have been untranslated. I love that language can be so personal,” she expresses. “It’s something that can mean something different than it appears.”
Though Arlette’s not sure her father truly appreciates her art, there is one piece she knows he would appreciate. “The rooster piece is dedicated to my dad because I believe it’s the only one that he would hang in his house,” she explains. “On the piece, there’s a phrase that, in English, translates to, ‘If you knew how much I loved you, you would cry of happiness.”
‘José’ is on view at Rose Easton through November 4th.
Credits
Images courtesy of the artist and Rose Easton.