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Journal
An Artist's Resolutions | Stories Behind the Art
A new year brings new resolutions. In January’s Stories Behind the Art, read what artists Perry Vásquez, Judith Linhares, and Bárbara Sánchez-Kane are prioritizing in 2026.
Perry Vásquez
Recently added to MCASD’s Board of Trustees, Perry Vásquez is a multi-disciplinary artist based in the U.S./Mexico border region, where he has been active since 1987. Working across painting, sound, video, and cartography, his work explores the mix of histories, cultures, and identities that collide at the border. Those overlaps reveal hidden patterns and connections that shape his practice.
“My artistic resolution is to think more like a tree.
My personal resolution is to act more like a rock.”
As in Hello Mr. Soul (Palm Tree Series, #2) (2016), on view in Fayman Gallery, Vásquez often examines the palm tree as a defining feature of the California landscape. The fascination began when the artist saw a palm tree on fire—an image that stayed with him and prompted questions about the palm’s role in art, ecology, and California’s mythology.
Judith Linhares
Judith Linhares rose to prominence in the 1970s and ’80s as part of a generation of figural painters. Known for her bold brushwork and vivid color, Linhares often depicts women in idyllic outdoor settings—lounging, picnicking, and taking up space with confidence and ease.
“In studio life, I want to channel the flow of making and doing, shooting for clarity of form.
In my everyday thoughts I want to banish THEM and US from my thinking.”
The scene in Slope (2011) loosely echoes art history—most notably Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe—and centers on the female presence, removing men altogether. The result: a jovial, distinctly feminist depiction, now on view in Foster Gallery.
Bárbara Sánchez-Kane
Based out of Mexico City, Bárbara Sánchez-Kane's multidisciplinary practice—spanning fashion, performance, painting, and installation—challenges traditional notions of mexicanidad and explores its relationship with masculine and feminine. Her work confronts the anxieties of everyday life to question pleasure, power, and domination within reigning masculine structures.
"My practice does not exist in solitude; it comes into being through sharing.
To insist on radical tenderness is an act of necessity."
MCASD recently acquired Look 12 (2025) by Sánchez-Kane as part of Prospect 2025.
What intentions have you set for 2026?