PAST EXHIBITIONS

Ain’t a Daddy Girl is a collection of work reflecting the constructed nature of gender as Cook works on deconstructing their own perception of self and gender. Using a blend of fabrics predominantly once destined to be baby girl clothes, Cook has created an imaginative fiction of cloth liberated from its intended purpose and a setting of gender confusion.

Aint a Daddy’s Girl will be on view August 12 - 27, 2023. An opening reception will be held on August 12 from 7-10 pm, with a performance by Haley Cook at 8 PM.

“Demeter” is a solo exhibition by 500x member and Dallas based artist Anonymous Heir (@anon_heir) featuring over 60 surreal pen and ink works exploring the transformative power of loss, longing, and desire.

"Demeter" will be on view August 12 - 27, 2023. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, August 12, from 7-10pm.

It’s like murder!!!

Besides killing someone, making someone want to die is right behind in terms of evil.

It’s like murder goes through instances of deaths, mostly figuratively. Like what it feels like to exist after experiencing trauma that landed me with a PTSD diagnosis, and how I have been coming to terms with it. There is a lot to do with being queer+nonbinary and existing inside a very feminine body - from the different experiences and extremes of a normal day to day perspective, to a very specific time of calculated abuse. Either way, feelings of dysmorphia/dysphoria, being discarded, and not being enough, are themes throughout.

The peach is used in different ways throughout the show - at times the peach is glorified, put on a pedestal, and made to be seen as desirable, and beautiful. Other times the peach has predators, is roughly handled, bruised, pulverized, carefully/haphazardly sliced, and gutted. The peach goes through being celebrated, to being rated, to being eaten up. It goes through being used as different tropes, to sexualize, cute-ify, objectify, to attract, to satisfy, and to impress. But eventually the peaches are eaten up, in a sense, or they rot.

Throughout, It’s like murder!!!, we see mostly peach fruit related content, however, there are a few references to the peach pit. The pit, which is usually discarded, has a hard shell, and a mildly poisonous seed - the inedible part. The pit is usually undesired to most, as it is a little rough. It’s the part left over after everything is stripped down to the literal core, like a Brittney moment! The part that is left when the youth fades, the core of something, or someone, the part that has strength, possibilities for countless rebirths, possibly some mild poison, but most importantly it holds the unseen authentic core. It’s not ugly, it's just unedited. So, I preserve the pits instead of the fruit.

It's like murder!!! is a solo exhibition by Texas-based artist, Gibson Regester. On View at 500x

Gallery from July 22nd, to August 6th, with an opening reception on July 22nd from 7pm-10pm and a performance by the artist around 8pm. 500x Gallery is open Saturday and Sunday from 12pm-5pm every weekend. Located at 516 Fabrication St. Dallas, Texas 75212.

“Beyond” is a solo exhibition by artist Grace Nicole. This body of work is meant to be an ongoing conversation about accepting that we are worthy even in the mundane. Black people have often exhausted themselves to obtain certain levels of success. Though, this work aims to challenge that notion and recognizes that we also can thrive in the space of the mundane.

What would our bodies feel like, how will we see ourselves and others, how will our relationships change if we decide to look beyond chasing and grinding? What does it look and feel like to be?

“Beyond” will be on view from June 24-July 16 2023 at 500X Gallery.

"New Growth'' is a solo exhibition by interdisciplinary artist Jer’Lisa Devezin. This series expands on explorations of abstraction, texture, materiality, and form, centering identity and the intersection of queerness and blackness.

The title references a development, shift, or transition; while recalling conversations and experiences of how hair transitions from a "relaxed" state to its original "texture" and "form" or how some would say, "nappy."

"New Growth" will be on view from June 24-July 16, 2023, at 500X Gallery. Opening reception: June 24, 2023, 7-10. Gallery hours of operation: Saturday and Sunday, 12-5 pm. Address: 516 Fabrication St. Dallas, TX. 75212

TEXAS IS GAY
A celebration of our proud Texan community.

Historically, the photographic process is divided into three main parts: the capturing of light, the development of light sensitive materials, and the final stage of printing. I am drawn toward the development and printing processes, which was the origin of this work. I created this series by experimenting with photographic materials and processes and utilizing pressing techniques similar to printmaking. ‘In Process’ is an exploration of how two processes, photography and printmaking, can come together cohesively. All of the works were created solely within a darkroom utilizing the wet photographic process and gelatin silver paper. Some paper was left unfixed and therefore continues to change color and tone throughout its life, while others were finished in the traditional archival printing process. Half of the prints were dyed using Rit dyes. All prints are unique and 1 of 1.

‘In Process’ is on view at 500x gallery from May 27 - June 10 2023. The opening reception is May 27 from 7-10pm. The address is 516 Fabrication St. Dallas, Tx 75212. The gallery is open from 12-5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Emmar Grant

“hasta que me muera” is a solo exhibition by Texas-based artist Christopher Nájera Estrada. This body of work is a collection based on ideas of healing intergenerational trauma, radically accepting juxtapositions in identity, and preserving childhood memories.

Najera’s work questions gender roles and ideologies that were imposed onto him as a child and strives to break down the harmful components found within his own culture by approaching them head on with appreciation and the same tenderness found within it. These works strive to mirror childhood relics of the past, and are to be viewed as gifts to the artist’s ever nostalgic self. Using resin, Najera is encasing drawings of familial memories and ideas in an attempt to radically accept truth.

“hasta que me muera” is on view at 500X Gallery from January 14th to the 29th, 2023. There will be an opening reception on January 14th with a performance at 8pm. The gallery is open 12-5 PM without appointment on Saturday and Sundays only. The gallery is located at 516 Fabrication ST. Dallas, TX 75212.

“beneath the moon” is a solo exhibition by Dallas-based artist Steven Hector Gonzalez. This collection of diaristic works is centered on queer nightlife as it unfolds under the cover of darkness. Through photographs and digitally constructed images, Gonzalez reflects on instances of longing and belonging by way of imaging queer spaces, erotic encounters and late night conversations.

Gonzalez’s practice is an exploration of self primarily through image-making and performance, both of which contribute to holding space for self-reflection. His current focus is placed on investigating the night as a medium for queer individuals to explore their identities, intimacy and rework established systems. Through a multidisciplinary practice which includes, collage works, print media, video, and performance, Gonzalez broadly locates his layered identity in close-proximity to themes of longing, resistance, and desire.

“by moonlight” is on view at 500X Gallery from January 14, 2023 to January 29, 2023. There will be an opening reception on January 14th from 7 PM-10 PM. The gallery is open 12 PM -5 PM without appointment on Saturday and Sundays only. 500X Gallery is located at 516 Fabrication ST. Dallas, TX 75212.

500X Gallery welcomes you to our bi-annual LGBTQIA+ Juried Exhibition for our 2022-23 season! This year's exhibition was juried by artist and curator, Angel Faz!

One artist from this year's selection will receive the Juror's Choice Award - $150 honorarium and a project space solo in the 500X Gallery project space for the 2023-2024 season.

Opening reception is Saturday, November 5th
7pm - 10pm
516 Fabrication St. Dallas, TX 75212
Exhibition runs from November 5th - November 20th.

Our exhibiting LGBTQIA+ Artists are:
Henry Evan Thomas, Sarah Gomez, Darren Dobson, Sean McGuire, Allison Mudd, Martha Roberts, Travis Walker, Lachlan Benford, Elaine McMurray, Joey Chabolla, Haley Yates, Danielle Ellis, Hallow Geffert, Jacquelyn Law, (Kai) Miller, Jenna Grace, Joyce Alexander, Tyra Burks, Matthew Ryan Johnson, Alvaro Arroliga, Onix Rodriguez, Jingyi Chen, Adrian Breceda, Jules, Matthew Weimer, Diego Luna.

ABOUT THE JUROR:
Angel Faz is a multi-disciplinary artist focusing on art interventions and the reclamation of public space. Their multi-disciplinary practice confronts social injustice through aesthetic means. Through relief printmaking, projections, mixed media, and installations, Faz discusses Dallas's history and, most recently, how the body exists in these places with complex histories. Their most recent exhibition, Someone, Like Me, seeks to present contemporary art that examines queerness beyond rainbow capitalism.

Faz has exhibited at Women & Their Work Gallery in Austin, Texas, RO2, The Mac, Kirk Hopper Fine Art, and the Rising Star 2018 showcase at the Turner House. Their print Collective Care is included in the Prints & Photographs Division Online Catalog at the Library of Congress. Faz is the recipient of the second annual 2022 CADD x Maddrey Artist prize culminating in an exhibition on November 2022. Faz lives and works in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood. Examples of their work can be found at angelafaz.com and on Instagram @thefaztastic.

500X is proud to present our Members Show, a group exhibition of the gallery's artist members. Now in our 44th season, our artists come from a broad range of disciplines, perspectives, and backgrounds. What connects us all is our shared mission in furthering the legacy of the gallery and to continue providing opportunities for the community. This dynamic exhibition highlights the members and their current practices.

The exhibiting 500X members are:
Haley Cook, Laura Davidson, Jer'Lisa Devezin, Huey Dynamite, Ross Faircloth, Steven Hector Gonzalez, Derrick Hamm, Jamila Mendez, Emmar Grant, Christopher Najera, Grace Nicole, Gibson Regester, Nora Soto, Justin Strickland, and Ashley Whitt.

The exhibit will be held on October 1st - October 23rd, 2022 with an opening reception on Saturday, October 1st, 7-10 pm. Additionally, there will be a closing reception/Halloween party on October 29th (more details to come!)

Gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays, 12-5 pm.

500X Gallery is proud to present HELLO FROM ELLUM THICKET, a solo exhibition by Dallas based artist Jamila Mendez.  

HELLO FROM ELLUM THICKET delves into the changing landscape of a middle class historically black neighborhood in Dallas, mostly known by the name Northpark.  This exhibition focuses on a time period during Jamila’s childhood there and the beginning of the gentrification that might change the neighborhood forever.  For decades, there have been constant attempts at rebranding the neighborhood (for gentrification purposes) from Ellum Thicket to Elm Thicket to Northpark to Inwood Park.  The art work walks away from just looking at structures by taking a closer look at the humanity of the families and legacies there.  Jamila explores the history of black families, through a personal lens, who were once relegated to the redlined area which turned into one of the best centrally located neighborhoods in Dallas. The fight continues, as we speak, with the proposed rezoning changes.

HELLO FROM ELLUM THICKET is on view at 500X Gallery from August 27th to September 18th, 2022. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, August 27th from 7-10 pm. 

The gallery is open from 12-5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The address for the gallery is 516 Fabrication Street, Dallas, 75212. 

There will be an artist talk at the gallery, “Jamila’s Ellum Thicket” with Jennifer Monet Cowley, on Sunday, September 11th from 2 - 3:30 pm.

BIO
Jamila Mendez is a multidisciplinary artist based in Dallas, Texas.  Her recent work has been a fusion of painting, photography and fabric manipulation. A consistent theme of collage elements appear in her acrylic and digital work.  

Her creativity was cultivated early on through private art lessons and summer art camps. It led her to attend Texas Woman’s University focusing on Fashion Design and Art.  Immediately after college, Mendez begin freelancing to build clientele. She designed custom apparel, honed her photography skills through portraiture work and certification, and taught After School Art Enrichment classes to elementary students. 

As an active artist throughout the DFW metroplex, Mendez has been in several exhibitions, notably the 2018 ART214 exhibition, a two time participant in the Lenora Rolla Heritage exhibition and the acclaimed Vivrant Thang exhibition hosted by 500X Gallery.  Jamila is also the creator and host of Artist to Artist, an IGTV series. You can find her recent work via her social media handles: 

Instagram:@mimichicboutique and her website www.MiMiChic.com.

500X is proud to present HOPE by Dallas based artist Gerald Bell. He is the winning participant from our exhibiton "Holding Space". Bell's work will be featured in our project space at 500X from August 27th - September 18th, 2022.

Exhibition Statement:

"I decided to name this show in direct coinciding with my realization that despite how things are generally going in our world and in my personal life, there is HOPE. This is in direct contrast to my previous/concurrently running “-isms” show in Ft Worth, and carries the theme passed on/hinted by the one painting in that show which ideally gives us a glimpse of what we can accomplish if we consciously and genuinely make changes for the better."

HOPE is on view at 500X Gallery from August 27th to September 18th, 2022. There will be an opening reception on Saturday, August 27th from 7-10 pm.

The gallery is open from 12-5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The address for the gallery is 516 Fabrication Street, Dallas, 75212.