Julio César Morales — artist, curator and a former museum director — grew up along the U.S.–Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana. After nearly a decade in Arizona creating work about the border, “OJO” marks his California homecoming and return to full-time studio practice through a mid-career survey bridging past and future to reflect on the present. This theme of history and what lies ahead is central to both the exhibition and Morales’ neon sign welcoming visitors to the Manetti Shrem Museum.

SF/Arts Curator Insight

Encompassing a variety of media — including video, prints, watercolors, sculpture and photography — a mid-career survey of Julio César Morales features 50 new and recent works. The Bay Area artist references real-life narratives, among them his own family’s experiences on both sides of the U.S-Mexico border, rendering difficult narratives in a thoughtful manner. The exhibition overlaps with “Julio César Morales: My America,” a presentation at Gallery Wendi Norris in San Francisco (Sept. 19–Nov. 1).