Valeria Tokun Haga/THE RIDER
Valeria Tokun Haga | THE RIDER
“Gradations” is an interactive art exhibition created by Jose Angel Lozano that invites viewers to reflect on the relationship between visual and material value through participatory artwork.
The exhibition, which opened March 2 on the first floor of the University Library on the Edinburg campus, will remain on display through Wednesday.
A reception was held March 11, allowing students and community members to experience the artwork and interact with the artist.
Lozano, a UTRGV studio art graduate student, said his artistic journey began in high school and deepened during his time at Texas Southmost College.
“It wasn’t really too serious until I got to college,” he said.
After completing his associate degree, Lozano transferred to UTRGV to pursue his bachelor’s degree.
“I continued my education there and learned from professors who kept the tradition of academic painting,” he said.
While his early work focused on academic painting, Lozano said his experiences working at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art encouraged him to explore different approaches.
“So behind this exhibition, the title is ‘Gradations,’ and it presents some of my most recent conceptual and interactive works,” he said. “They examine the relationship between visual value and material value.”
The exhibition features works created with materials such as oil paint, acrylic, ink and graphite, often applied to unconventional surfaces rather than traditional canvas.
“Some of these projects create moments where viewers become participants rather than just observers,” Lozano said. “They invite self-expression, humor and reflection.”
He said one of the most meaningful works in the exhibition is “Words of Value,” an interactive installation in which attendees can create words using magnetic letters arranged at different visual values.
“It’s a way for me to learn about the community through the words they create,” Lozano said, explaining the piece allows participants to reflect on the ideas and values that matter the most to them.
Valeria Tokun Haga/THE RIDER
Valeria Tokun Haga/THE RIDER
Valeria Tokun Haga/THE RIDER
Valeria Tokun Haga/THE RIDER
