Since the 1990s, Luis González Palma has remained one of Latin America’s most well-known and prolific artists, seamlessly combining photography, mixed media, and collage over a career spanning four decades. His work is informed by curiosity and reverence for the human condition, woven into evocative images that present an untethered relationship to time and place. Working with symbolism, meticulous staging, and a keen understanding of religious and cultural iconography, González Palma masterfully creates rich narratives influenced by his Guatemalan heritage and perspective as a Latin American artist.

Constructed Mythologies presented selections spanning two decades of Luis González Palma’s creative output. The exhibition included seminal works from the 1990s to today, alongside rarely exhibited images drawn from private collections. Rooted in photography, his use of the camera presents viewers with feelings of intimacy and mystery that are built upon by incorporating textural elements such as gold leaf, engraving, thread, and acrylic paint. This layering of media, uncommon in photography, offers a richness that is both seen and felt. González Palma’s ability to move fluidly from traditional photographic materials and presentations to unconventional surfaces such as textile, onion paper, and cased objects on glass offers diverse viewing experiences between each work, highlighting the artist’s ability to respond to image and instinct simultaneously.

Constructed Mythologies was the first comprehensive survey exhibition of Luis González Palma’s work on the west coast in a public institution, expanding on his artistic approach to the medium of photography while rewarding viewers with his ability to tell stories and create emotionally charged myths.