RUBEN TREJO: CRUCIFORMSJANUARY 21 - APRIL 2, 2005

JUNDT ART MUSEUM· GONZAGA UNIVERSITY • SPOKANE • WASHINGTON

CRUCIFORMS Moreover, Trejo frequently explores and plays with the

meanings and values that a culture will assign to dif-

ferent symbols or icons. The cross series is a part of

this lifelong artistic project that Professor Trejo has em-

barked upon.

His crosses are a fascinating and powerful meditation

on this single, simple form, which is one of the most

fam iIiar and ideologically loaded symbols from the past

millennia to the present. Although the

Latin cross format has become synony-

mous with Christ's Crucifixion, the basic

cross form-two lines crossing at right

angles-in fact predates Christianity. The

earliest cruciform, the "gamma" cross, is

better known today by its Sanskrit name,

swastika.' Even though an extremely

controversial symbol in contemporary

Western societies, the swastika frequent-

ly appeared on artifacts and objects from

ancient Mediterranean civi Iizations, most

likely as a symbol of benediction or good

luck. The swastika functions as a sign

of holiness also for Brahmins and Bud-

dhists alike. And according to prehistoric

archaeologists the earl iest forms of the

cross appear to have had rei igiously symbol ic meaning

long before the advent of organized religion.

For Christians the Latin cross resonates as a sign of

One of the most respected, beloved, and prolific artists

in Washington, Ruben Trejo has remarkably humble and

unique origins. His parents, Tarascan Indians from the

Michoacan area of Mexico,.migrated north to Minnesota

around 1910 in search of work. The move to Minnesota

was initially considercd temporary, but the family stayed.

And Ruben Trejo was born and raised in a

CB & Q Boxcar in the Burlington Railroad

Yards in St. Paul. His father worked for the

railroad, while the rest of the family-Tre-

jo, his mother, and five siblings-spent ten

hours a day as migrant farm laborers. As

a Mexican-American Catholic living in

a boxcar and growing up in mid-twenti-

eth century Minnesota, Trejo experienced

early on in his life a kind of cultural oscil-

lation that involved movement within and

between two different worlds, two different

cultures. His interest in art surfaced as a

young grade school boy. Years later, as an

art student at the University of Minnesota,

Trejo started to blend his keen awareness

of cultural differences into his art. Indeed,

his work consistently reflects a particularly astute sen-

sitivity to the distinguishing features of North American

and Latino cultures and the similarities between the two.

Christ's Crucifixion. It has permeated Western visual

culture from the Middle Ages, when Europe experienced

the beginnings of an extraordinary wave of Christian im-

agery, particularly within church buildings.' That wave

subsided somewhat by the seventeenth century; how-

ever, the cross emerges constantly and consistently in

our everyday, contemporary, and largely secular world.

We can, of course, sti II experience images of the cross

in the architecture of cruciform churches. The sign of

the cross and the cross on a rosary can also provide a

direct, personal experience of it. In the home a repre-

sentation of a cross serves as an expres-

sion and reminder of a family's religious

beliefs. Yet, for many, the experience of

the cross takes place within museums-

the "sacred" space of art. For some, the

cross as jewelry or as a tattoo is a public

expression of one's faith, but, for many

others who wear it on the body, it may

be strictly a fashion accessory. Or on

the side of a road or highway a cross

may mark the spot where a loved one

was killed in an automobile accident.

It has also been co-opted as a symbol

of racial and religious hatred and big-

otry, in the perverse practice of cross

burnings. And finally, within the genre

of horror films, the cross frequently ap-

pears as a swift and reliable weapon

against bloodthirsty vampires. Thus, for

Christians and non-Christians alike, the

cross is inevitably fraught with cultural,

social, and political meanings.

During the 1970s Trejo started to ex-

plore and investigate, primarily in

welded metals, the most common

emblem of Christianity as a sculptural

form. His interest in the cross is largely

rooted in the artistic challenge that it

offers, namely the challenge to create

infinite visual variety and balance with an extremely

simple, pure shape. He often incorporates other forms

into his crosses, in particular welded nails, and repeat-

edly transforms a common symbol into a work of art that

compels the viewer to pause and reflect on some of the

most fundamental issues of design.

Trejo's Cross #45, for instance, creates an astonishing

balance of contrasts. At the core of the cross is the

standard, rigid horizontal line intersecting with a verti-

cal line, but near the tips of the cross are excessively

bent nails that look like twisted dough. With this simple

maneuver Trejo diminishes the sense of

danger and violence that a nail on a cross

could imply and imbues the work with

a bit of humor and whimsy. Moreover,

he creates a visual and conceptual ten-

sion between straight/curved, soft/hard,

and peril/whimsy. Trejo's Cross #19 also

experiments with a similar set of formal

issues.With Cross # 19 he creates a cross

in outline form whose interior is mostly

negative space partially filled with twist-

ing nails arranged on a variety of angles

and X forms arbitrarily dispersed. The

contour lines of the cross slightly bend,

giving the cross a degree of liveliness in-

stead of rigid stillness. This time it is not

just straight/curved, soft/hard but also

rigid/malleable that Trejo addresses.

The cross series, however, cannot be

reduced strictly to the category of for-

mal experimentation. Trejo often inte-

grates into his crosses a psychological

or emotional presence that is achieved

through the simplest means. Consider

Cross #75, a cross with arms that deeply

curve inward. This gesture of embrace is

loving and comforting in tone, perhaps

a reminder for the Christian viewer of

Christ's love and acceptance. Yet with

Cross # 74 we see at the top of the cross a prickly clus-

ter of nai Is that extend out, as the other three arms

exhibit the severely pointy claw-like tips from three

different blades-no welcoming, comforting gesture

of embrace at all, but one of threat and possible physi-

cal torment. Indeed, the physical is directly repre-

sented inCross # 77, one of the few crosses by Trejo

that features the body, or rather parts of the body. Two

eye-like forms appear to gaze out at

the viewer, while an outstretched hand

tangled in wire reaches up from the

top of the cross, perhaps expressi ng

physical agony, fragi Iity, and resigna-

tion. Yet the hand looks relaxed. We

do not need to see the entire body in

order to understand corporeal vulner-

ability. In this case, the hand func-

tions as visual synecdoche, expressing

the whole body or person. But Trejo

cleverly counterbalances the possible

solemnity of the wire-tangled hand by

incorporating representations of ja-

lapeno peppers along the shaft of the

cross, a witty juxtaposition that evokes

both humor and pain.

With Cross #77 and other crosses like Cross #70, Trejo

manages to insert another dimension into the psycho-

logical and formal life of his crosses, and that is the

cu Itural. Cross # 70 aIso features representations of

jalapeno peppers, which extend across and down the

length of the cross. It is a significant juxtaposition

that may seem an example of m ixi ng metaphors or

cultural clash-an abstract symbol of Christian spiri-

tuality combined with the plump, hot peppers native

to Mexico. But in fact the peppers and the cross to-

gether invoke the culture of Mexico that shaped Trejo,

even as a child growing up in Min-

nesota. On the one hand, his crosses

invite us to reflect upon and recon-

sider how we view and understand

a basic, familiar form. But a work

like Cross #70, which mixes seem-

ingly incongruent icons, prompts us

to acknowledge and reflect upon the

cultural hybridity that all modern hu-

man bei ngs in the early twenty-first

century experience.

With this simple form-two lines

crossing at right angles-Trejo cre-

ates work of astonishing richness

and complexity. Professor emeritus

of Eastern Washington University, he

is internationally recognized for his

work and has had more than twenty-five solo exh i-

bitions. His work is featured in museum collections

throughout the United States, including the Smithson-

ian Institute's ational Gallery of American Art. This exhibition at the Jundt Art Museum includes several crosses

recently made by Trejo and is the first show since 1987 devoted exclusively to his ongoing cross series.

Shalon Parker, PhD.Assistant Professor of Art History, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA

1 Information regarding the history and religious significance of the cross and swastika is from New Catholic En-cyclopedia. (Detroit: Gale/Thomson, 2004), S.II. "Cross," 4: 378-83, and s.v. "Swastika," 13: 633.2 The earliest surviving image of Christ's Crucifixion dates to c. 420. It is a small ivory relief carving now locatedin London at the British Museum. The relief panel shows Christ on the cross alive and alert, while the dead figureof Judas hanging from a tree is to the right of Christ. See New Catholic Encyclopedia, 4: 488, fig. 1, for a repro-duction of this relief. It is believed that prior to the fifth century the Crucifixion was not represented in Christianart. Christ was generally shown as the Good Shepherd, the Teacher of the Apostles, or the Pantocrator. Scholarsof early Christian art have suggested that this absence of images showing Christ on the cross was due 10 the shameand indignity associated with crucifixion, a form of capital punishment generally meted out to criminals and slavesduring the Roman Empire. Only later was the image of Christ on the Cross regarded as an inspiring and movingemblem of the faith and His sacrifice.

IMAGESCover:Cross 1147, 2001 (detail).Welded steel & cast bronze with patina, 39" x 22" x 4".

left panel:(top, left to right)Cross 1145, 2000. Welded steel with nails, 14"x 91f2"x 3".Cross #47, 2000. Welded steel with nails, 17" x 14" x 3".Cross 114,2000. Welded steel with nails, 9"x 11'h"x 2".(bottom)Cross 1143, 1999. Welded steel with nails, 21" x 8" x 2".

Center panel:Cross 1177, 1999.Wire & cast bronze with patina, 5'14"x 22'14"x 2".

Right panel:(top, left to right)Cross 1174, 2001. Welded steel, 12"x 6"x 4".Cross 1158, 2001. Welded steel with nails, 15"x 11"x 4".Cross 1175, 2001. Welded steel, 11" x 91f2"x 4".(bottom)Cross 1164,2001. Welded steel with paint, 29"x 131f2"x 1".

Right fold:Cross 1179, 2001. Welded wire & nails w/paint, 34"x48"x5".

Back cover:Cross 1147, 2001.Welded steel & cast bronze with patina, 39"x 22"x 4".

Photo credit: Barry Coon/Commercial Photographers

This publication was funded by the Jundt Art Museum's Annual Campaign 2004-2005.© Jundt Art Museum, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA 99258-0001

RUBEN TREJOBorn January 7, 1937, St. Paul, MN; resides in Spokane, WA.

EDUCATIONLniversity of Minnesota, 1969, M.F.A.University of Minnesota, 1964, B.A., 1960, A.A.

TEACHING APPOINTMENTS1973-2003 Eastern Washington University, Cheney, WA.

(Professor Emeritus)1968-1973 SI. Teresa College, Winona. MN.

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS2004 Jundt An Museum, Gonzaga Univer ity, Spokane. WA.2003 Tinman Artworks, Spokane, WA.

Kress Gallery, Spokane, WA.North Idaho College, Coeur d' Alene,lD.Chase Gallery, Spokane, WA.Reencounters, Expressions oj Latino Identity,

Exhibit Touring Services, EWU, Cheney, WA.Creative Arts Center, Pontiac, MT.Bridge Center for Contemporary Art, EI Paso, TX.Center for the Visual Arts,Metropolitan State College, Denver, CO.Portsmouth Museums, VAEsvelt Gallery, Columbia Ba in College,

Pasco, WA.Adam East Museum & Art Center,

Moses Lake, WA.Copper Village Museum & Arts Center,

Anaconda, MT.Hockaday Center for the Arts, Kalispell. MT.Cultural Events, WSU-Jri Cities, Richland, WA.Lawton Gallery, University of Wisconsin

Green Bay. WI.Gallery/Museum. Western Montana College,

Dillon, MT.pringfield Museum of An. OH.

Steensland An Museum, orthfield, M.Washington State Convention & Trade Center,

Seattle, WA.Intar Gallery, I ew York, Y.

200019991992-1997

1990

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS2004 Anistas de la Raza Cosmica, Larson Gallery,

Yakima. WAGuahatemo, La Corona Gallery, Chicago, IL.

2000-2003 /vrte Latino, Smithsonian American An Museum,Washington D.C.

Arte Latino, EI Paso, TX.An Beyond Borders, Winnipeg Art Gallery,

Manitoba, Canada.

20001997

SELECTED TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS1993-1995 Arte de Ol/V Mexico/An of the Other Mexico

Mexican Fine Arts Cenrer Museum, Chicago, TL.Museo De Artc Moderno, Mexico. D.F.Mu eo Regional De Oaxaca, Mexico.Centro Cultural Tijuana, Mexico.Palm Springs Desert Museum, CA.Mu e Del Barrio, New York City, NY.Center for the Arts, San Franci co, CA.

1990-1993 Cora Chicano Art: Resistance and AffirmationWight Art Gallery, UCLA, Los Angeles. CA.Denver Art Museum, CO.Albuquerque Museum, 1 M.San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CA.Fresno Art Museum, CA.Tucson Museum of Art, AZ.Smithsonian American Art Museum,

Washington D.C.EI Paso Museum of Art, TX.Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York, NY.San Antonio Museum of Art, TX.

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONSCity of Seattle Portable Works, Commission Purchase Award, WA.College of St. Teresa, Winona, MN.Dongguk niversity, Seoul, Korea.Eastern Washington niversity, Cheney. WA.Georgia Southern College, Statesboro, GA.Jundt Art Museum, Gonzaga niversity. Spokane, WA.Limerick niversity, Ireland.Iational Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, M.orthwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Spokane. WA.

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C.Spokane City Hall, WA.St. Martin's Abbey, Lacey, WA.Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA.

SELECTED HONORS & AWARDS2003 FEDECMI Graphic Arts Workshop,

BAJa UN MISMO CIELO,Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico.Spokane Arts Commission, Artist Award, WA.Northwest Regional Foundation Grant.Prernio de la Raza, CEP, EWU, Cheney. WATrustee Medal, EWU, Cheney, WA.28th Spokane Annual Competition: Individual Award Winner, WA.

20011992199119861976

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHYArt of the Other Mexico. Catalogue. Chicago: Mexican Fine Arts Center

Museum, 1993.Breaking Borders. Catalogue. Winnipeg: St. Norbert Art and Cultural Center.

1997.Contemporary Chicana and Chicano Art, Artists, Works, Culture, and

Education. vols. I & ll. Tempe: Bilingual Press. 2002.Day of the Dead. Catalogue. Belmont. CA: College of Notre Dame, 1995.Exhibiting Mestizaje: Mexican (American) Museums in the Diaspora.

Catalogue. University of ew Mexico Press.Lostc, Barbara. The Day of the Dead: Reflections/Installations. Catalogue.

pokane, WA: Jundt Art Museum, 2001.Recuentros: Washington State & Chile, Partner of Americas. 1992.Santana, Jose Luis de la Nuez. Arte y minorias en los Estados Unidos:

el ejemplo chicano. Cordoba, Spain, 200 I."Spiritual Soundbites and the An of Ruben Trejo," Third Text: Third World

Perspectives 011 Contemporary Art and Culture. London, UK. 1995.