Year of the Diamond Dogs
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The Year of the Diamond Dogs is composed largely of shiny, reflective surfaces. Most notably a large ramp that nearly runs right out of the gallery into the foyer of the building, covered with broken beer bottles. The ambient light is largely created through the neon red lights on the floor that write out the words, “There's gonna be sorrow” bouncing around the room. Two large sections of mirrors on opposing walls keep the light moving and suggest an ideal location for a voyeuristic rave.
The dance party feeling is enhanced by music that escapes from a second space to the left as you enter the space. In this space, Morales has electronically manipulated sound and video, projecting imagery on two drywall screens supported by 2x4s. Here he uses a tape of his aunt singing traditional Mexican ballads as the core material. He breaks up the image and music eventually forming a scattered, rhythmic image. The second video shows two djs working with his aunt’s songs, further manipulating and abstracting. The image does the same, and their white t-shirts create a visual pattern.
The feeling is fun and fabulous with an underlying tone of disintegration. A narrative of the evolution of tradition is suggested. The large mass of broken beer bottles says revelry, hopelessness and violence. It is an unusually significant effort, and it is worth a trip to the art center located at Babeville.
The attached slide show is accompanied by a funny song, California, by Liz Phair. Creating these slideshows, one is always searching for songs less than 3 minutes. It has been tough to find something in Buffalo that warrants a song titled California as a soundtrack. Julio César Morales’s California origins offered an irresistible opportunity. What is interesting is that both works of art have a multigenerational theme and layers of meaning alternating between humor, nostalgia and dread. Content warning: the singer songwriter is fond of a certain four-letter word.
Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center 341 Delaware Avenue www.hallwalls.org
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