Altar Visions of the West

For decades, the American frontier was frozen in a cinematic loop of exported myths and manufactured cowboy archetypes. In his upcoming solo exhibition, Altar-Visions of the West, radical regionalist Arthur Lopez dismantles this false narrative. By hand-carving vintage television vessels from organic native wood, Lopez transforms the mid-century screen into a contemporary altar. Every knob, vent, and dial is a deliberate, virtuosic sculptural feat—completely stripped of industrial anonymity and finished using natural and water-based pigments. Inside these wooden consoles, sacred figures stand as the true, enduring anchors of regional identity. From Clara-vision (featuring Saint Clare of Assisi, the patron saint of television) to Pasqual-a-tron and Kateri-View, these works bridge historical legacy with a brilliant, high-concept dialogue on modern media. In an era of digital displacement, the most radical act an artist can perform is to be deeply, unapologetically rooted in their own culture.