Antonio Serna: Moving Forward Together

Moving Forward Together, is the latest solo exhibition of work by Antonio Serna. This new body of work explores the collaborative mediascape formed in the 1970s between indigenous rights activist comprised of a racially mixed group of indigenous and non-indigenous artists, anthropologists, writers, and journalists from the Americas and Europe.

The collection of artwork presented in this exhibition is a portion of an ongoing series of photographs entitled Our Oppressions are Connected, also known as “chain pieces,” in which the artist creates an interconnected arrangement of various clippings of historical events with beaded silver chains. The work presented at Presa House marks a new phase in this series: we now see the artist experimenting with various locations, backgrounds, surfaces, and linking techniques.

In addition to the new artwork, the exhibition will feature a rotating display of related items from the Documents of Resistance Archive (DoRA). The DoRA is a research archive curated by Antonio Serna that contains printed material and related ephemera, which focuses on the struggle against racism with an emphasis on material produced by racialized groups within the United States of America.

This exhibition is meant to provide several entry points into the often-overlooked social history of American activism by way of an art research project. Moving Forward Together is ongoing, and the presentation at Presa House is not conclusive in its choice of materials. This exhibition will continue to grow and evolve as new visual research is acquired and assembled.

About the Artist 

Serna is a Mexican-American artist, visual researcher, and educator living and working in Texas and Taiwan. His work focuses on the intertwined relationships between visual culture, socio-political history, and personal narratives. His two most recent studio projects are The Same Sun/Calendar, a multimedia meditation on deep time and place, and Documents of Resistance, which focuses on the history of art and activism of artists of color. He has exhibited in New York, Texas, Las Vegas, Spain, Mexico, Berlin, Croatia, and Taiwan.

Serna’s art projects and collaborative work have been included in the following books: Art for the Future: Artists Call and Central American Solidarities, edited by Erina Duganne and Abigail Satinsky. Inventory Press & Tufts University Galleries, 2022; Culture Strike: Art and Museums in an Age of Protest by Laura Raichovich. Verso Books, 2021; Making and Being: Embodiment, Collaboration, & Circulation in the Visual Arts by Caroline Woolard, Susan Jahoda, BFAMFAPHD. Pioneer Works Press, 2020; Art As Social Action: An Introduction to the Principles and Practices of Teaching Social Practice Art by Gregory Sholette, Chloe Bass, Social Practice Queens. Allworth Press, 2018; Reflecting on Reconstructing Practice: Toward an Anti-racist Art & Design Field by Lauren Williams. Antiracist Classroom/ArtCenter, 2018.

Serna studied art in New York City and Amsterdam. He holds a Master in Fine Arts from The City University of New York, Brooklyn College, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Parsons School of Art. He has taught in the Art & Design programs at Parsons School of Art and Brooklyn College.

As an extension of his studio art practice, Antonio Serna is building a Documents of Resistance Archive (DoRA), a research archive and database of printed material and historical ephemera by and for artists of color.

This exhibition is made possible with support from the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture through its 2023 Individual Artists Project Grant Program.

The opening reception and official 2024 DreamWeek event will be held on Friday, January 5, from 7-11 pm.