By Eddie Mike Garcia
The Vincent Price Art Museum opening reception of Rafael Cardenas photographic exhibit “Backyard Tableaux” was held on Saturday.
The photographs ranged from a downed piñata, poolside relaxation, a backyard party, to cold beverages inside an ice cooler.
This is Cardenas’ first solo exhibit of photos on display here at ELAC.
The two-hour event brought many individuals to mingle with the artist and ask various questions about his work.
When asked why is it so important to capture certain moments with a camera, Cardenas said, “For me, documenting is important. A moment becomes something else once it’s photographed – and then it becomes its own thing.”
The director of VPAM, Pilar Tompkins Rivas, was also in attendance greeting visitors and providing information about the exhibit.
“Cardenas was also part of two groups photograph exhibits in the past.” said Rivas.
Cardenas attended ELAC in the early 1990s, taking up theater and also journalism, and remembers how the campus has changed through the years.
He was self-taught in photography since 2010 and has fine-tuned his craft over the following eight years.
The exhibit is located in Gallery 4 on the third floor of the VPAM. Nine attractive Plexiglas framed photos of various sizes are on display, which depict images of parties and social gatherings of the local Eastside neighborhoods.
The exhibit will run from April 28 through July 28, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from noon until 4 p.m. and on Friday from noon to 7 p.m. Admission is free.