Beyond the Shape: El Arte de Chente Rodriguez

Untitled, Vicente “Chente” Rodriguez, Acrylic on canvas, 67″ x 124″, 1976

About the Exhibit:

This retrospective invites the viewer into the intricate world of Vicente “Chente” Rodriguez, a prolific artist born in Villa Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Mexico (b. 1945). At the age of seven, Rodriguez emigrated to the United States to live with his aunt and uncle in San Antonio, Texas,  eventually settling in Austin,Texas, where he continues to live and work. 

Rodriguez studied painting at San Antonio College and then transferred to The University of Texas at Austin, where he studied from 1969 to 1972. While he began creating geometric sketches as early as the third grade, it was during his time at UT Austin that he developed a distinctive and dynamic geometric painting style, which he continues to explore to this day. This body of work offers a glimpse into the artist’s exploration of aesthetic expressions through color, shape, and form. Rodriguez’s geometric abstract art has been quietly hibernating for many decades with almost no public exposure, Beyond the Shape: El Arte de Chente Rodriguez brings these works to light, placing them within the larger context of contemporary art and broadening the canon of Chicano/a/x art aesthetics. 

During his time at UT Austin, Rodriguez became involved with the Chicano Movement, creating posters and logos for organizations, protests, and events related to the Movement, using his artwork to support and amplify the cultural and political voices of his community. After graduating, Rodriguez continued to build his artistic career illustrating album covers for Tejano groups such as Little Joe y La Familia and Ruben Ramos y La Revolucion, as well as designing and illustrating for various organizations and institutions, including the Juarez-Lincoln University and Bob Bullock Museum.

While he has never ceased to create geometric art, Rodriguez has also built a career in commercial screen printing. For more than 30 years, he has helped shape the city’s cultural fabric, dedicating himself to serving Austin’s diverse communities through his screen printing work, producing thousands of T-shirts for local families, churches, shops, politicians, artists, and many businesses.
Beyond the Shape not only reintroduces us to Rodriguez’s artistic vision but also underscores the richness and complexity of Chicano/a/x contributions to the ongoing dialogue of modern and contemporary art. Through his drawings, prints, paintings, and ephemera, this exhibition highlights Chente Rodriguez’s contributions as well as his enduring impact on the cultural landscape of Austin and the broader Chicano/a/x art Movement. The Mexic-Arte Museum invites you to explore the depth of Rodriguez’s artistic legacy, offering a unique opportunity to engage with the work of a pioneering artist whose legacy will continue to resonate with past, present, and future generations.

Join us for the opening reception!