New Art Exhibit in Downtown El Paso

Occupying the walls of the Dream Chasers Club Gallery in downtown El Paso are various pink-framed, minimalist drawings done by Julio Quintana, 32, an El Paso-based artist currently holding his first solo exhibition.

“Whenever someone asks me to do an art show I agree” Quintana said. “I just want people to see my art. I’ll do it at an abandoned house, doesn’t have to be a gallery or anything like that, as long as people see it and care.”

“NUMB”, as he named this project, is a collection that embodies relationships and how people often find them disposable at this time in age. “They represent how people feel by being replaced all the time” Quintana said.

Warped and repetitive body parts, movements, and emotions are a distinct part of Quintana’s style. “His artwork made you feel like you entered a new dimension” Luis Garcia, 21, said.

Another onlooker, Reyna Rey, 19, said she "was really blow away because I’ve known Julio for a while, so it’s really nice to see him doing his own solo show and to see how he’s progressed as an artist from when I first met him to now".

Viewers of the exhibit were able to purchase a limited edition “NUMB” zine from Quintana, which featured some of the same artwork hanging in the gallery and displayed on his Instagram page, @dotdotjulio.

“I really enjoyed the pieces that were in black and white. I thought it all looked very delicate, like the little folds in the clothes and wrinkles on the skin. I enjoyed that a lot” Josh Ortega, 19, said.

The exhibit will be open to the public every Thursday through Saturday for a month, and the El Paso community is encouraged to attend since it can likely be the last that Dream Chasers Club Gallery will host.

The gallery is looking at closing its doors, but still holds hope that they can stay in business a while longer with the help of artists such as Quintana, and by cultivating an art-driven culture in El Paso.