The Cain National Art Show opened its 59th year with a selection of 66 curated works centered around identity and how it influences the world. The juror for this year’s gallery, Alejandro Macias, is a Texas native out of Brownsville and Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Arizona.

Macias had the responsibility of curating the displayed artworks out of the 1,020 submissions from across the country, 34 of which were from artists in Texas. He also spoke on his own work the day before the gallery reception, all of which is viewable online at www.alexmaciasart.com or on his Instagram @alex.macias.art.

Many of the artworks showcased at this year’s show center around topics of identity, heritage, and the socio-political structures built on them. Every piece represents a different experience being brought to light under a common theme. Some center around evaluation of one’s own character whereas others lean towards personal experiences directly influenced by their background.

This heavy lean toward identity seems to frequently stem from an uneasy political landscape. Times of such uncertainty force artists and non-artists alike to reflect on who they are and what role they play in society. Questions start to arise about what got them here and why they are struggling with things that may be entirely outside their control. Others are simply targeted: undue stress has been placed on people with diverse identities throughout the country. Artists often use this spotlight to express themselves and resonate with audiences going through similar or near identical hardship. As Angel Cabrales puts in their artist statement, “As our border cities are used as political footballs, the people who live there see their worlds change. Migrants are dehumanized as the ‘other’ and sister cities are cut off from each other, all for political gain.” Cabrales’s statement articulates the feelings of millions of Americans as a rapid increase in ICE activity and heavy trade barriers on nearby nations take hold.

Clarissa Martinez’s “They Want to Make Us Bleed” explores an equally political but more introspective cultural approach to her symbolism. Her piece “uses illustrative narratives to depict the relationship between Catholicism and its perpetration of conventional gender roles in Latinx communities” and “is a direct message about religious influence on laws governing the female body” according to her submitted artist statement. Many people feel very strongly about bodily autonomy and the right to have access to life-saving medical care, voting in favor of abortion protections on a state level in places even as Republican-leaning as Missouri.

Tania Qurashi’s drawing is more personal, and explores her identity through the lens of ethnicity, as the daughter of Pakistani and Guatemalan immigrants. “Through paintings and drawings, I explore objects, vessels, and symbols from my parent’s homelands to reconcile with multiple histories and heritages,” says Qurashi in her artist statement. The drawing depicts an assortment of symbolic objects in a dream-like void, appropriately titled “A Comet Appears in My Dream of You.”

There are many more pieces that continue the trend of identity-focused themes, and the show is on display in the Cain Gallery in the Fine Arts Building on Heritage Campus through April 25. Some artworks are for sale and interested purchasers can email art@delmar.edu to be put in touch with the artist. Del Mar College takes no commission from the sale and delivery is left up to the artist and/or buyer.