Vincent Valdez: Just A Dream… unites 25 Years Of Work For The First Time And Cements The Artist As One Of The Most Important American Painters Working Today

MASS MoCA is pleased to present Vincent Valdez: Just a Dream…, the artist’s first museum survey, including previously unexhibited and new bodies of work. Co-organized by MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) and Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH). Spanning over two decades of his work, from early career drawings to recent monumental portraits, Just a Dream… cements Valdez as one of the most important American painters working today — imaging his country and its people, politics, pride, and foibles. The first iteration of the exhibition is currently on view at CAMH through March 23 before opening at MASS MoCA on May 24, 2025.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Valdez began painting murals at age ten, catalyzing a lifelong commitment to ‘create images about people, and for people’. He makes artwork to counter the social amnesia he sees recurring through history, encouraging us to find new paths forward by reckoning with the past. Valdez asserts that the unfolding American tale is an ever-expanding range of experiences which includes the historic contributions and legacy of Mexican-Americans among others. His work, centered on unspoken or forgotten histories and peoples, reminds us of our agency in writing a more just future.

MASS MoCA’s presentation of Just a Dream… expands from the presentation in Houston through the addition of a number of works including drawings from the artists Stations series (2002–2004); the early painting of the artist’s brother Yo Soy-ee Blaxican (I am Blaxican), 2004; the never before shown 2018 painting Night (Juarez/El Paso), and new works from the artist’s on-going series entitled It Was a Very Good Year. This series, titled after the song of the same name, begins with recognizable images from news media during the artist’s lifetime and consists of two canvases: Oliver North swearing in at the Iran-Contra Hearings (1987) and Michael Jordan’s gravity defying slam dunk contest (1988). The paintings render their subjects in near life-size, pulling them off the screen and into space as free-standing objects attached back-to-back.

“This exhibition is a 25 year testament to my love and commitment for creating images as instruments that ignite public remembrance,” says artist Vincent Valdez. “Presented for the very first time is a two-decade conversation that has persistently occurred between the world and my studio. A close examination of what I have chosen to confront as opposed to what I turn away from. This exhibition, in collaboration with CAMH and MASS MoCA, marks an important moment in my lifelong effort to create images about people, for people. I offer this work as a report. My visual testimony about an unfolding tale of hope, struggle, and survival in 21st century America.”

In celebration of the artist and exhibition, MASS MoCA will host a weekend of special activities starting on Saturday, May 24, with an Opening Preview Celebration at 5:30pm followed by a performance by Saul Williams at 8:30pm — an artist invited by Valdez due to their shared unflinching politics. On Sunday, May 25 at 11am, Valdez will be in conversation with poet, essayist, and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib, who shares with Valdez a love of music, basketball, and telling untold stories. For tickets and more information, visit massmoca.org.