There’s a maelstrom of cultural influences in the work of Oakland-based artist Esteban Raheem Abdul Raheem Samayoa — from his Mexican-Guatemalan heritage and the disconnection he feels with some family members to his recent conversion to Islam and his “found family” in the Bay Area’s creative community.
It’s all on display at “Blood Be Water,” his solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose, which opened with a massive block-party celebration last Saturday night attended by more than 700 people. For the exhibition, Samayoa created dozens of new works in just a few months, using a variety of styles including black-and-white airbrushed paintings, oil pastels and ceramics.
ICA Executive Director James Leventhal has been excited for people to finally see Samayoa’s work at the South First Street gallery, which runs through Aug. 24
“Our city has always been a vibrant mosaic of immigrant communities. From the farm workers who shaped the region’s past to the tech workers who now define its future, this exhibition celebrates the resilience and transformation of our diverse populations,” he said. “Samayoa’s story resonates with so many of the communities we serve, and this exhibition speaks to both the weight and the beauty of those experiences.”
Curator Zoë Latzer presents Samayoa’s work in two sections: One side is immersed in earth tones, matching the artist’s exploration into his ethnic roots in Mexico and Central America. Some of the work is made on burlap sacks used for coffee beans, and soil is embedded in some of the frames. The centerpiece is a stylized Mayan pyramid, adorned with ceramic silhouettes of dogs and cowboys along with clay pots.
“I kind of raised myself and looked for community outside for comfort. I’ve never been to Mexico or Guatemala, so this is me remembering parts of my childhood where I did feel most connected to that,” Samayoa said. “A lot of this is from the gaze of a young kid. That’s why a lot of the figures are mysterious.”
The other side of the gallery is filled with ethereal black-and-white airbrushed paintings that provide a peek at Samayoa’s relationship with his cultural and family influences — whether it’s his Guatemalan father, Malcom X, Tupac Shakur or the Oakland community.
Barely 30, the Sacramento-born Samayoa is a largely self-taught artist who started drawing and working with charcoals, continuing to find new avenues of creative expression. (He even created the painted plaster textures on a large wall in the gallery where several of his paintings are displayed.)
“It’s my first institutional show, and I’m so thankful because I was so supported and believed in,” Samayoa said. “For me, I want to show people this is what I’m doing in Oakland. I want people in L.A. and New York to see these are the conversations we’re having here.”
ROLL CREDITS: The Cinequest film festival put its 35th year in the books Sunday night, with a big crowd at the California Theatre in downtown San Jose to see the closing night movie, “The Friend,” a heart-tugging comedy/drama with Bill Murray, Naomi Watts and a very expressive Great Dane, who goes by Apollo in the film. From there, a large portion of that audience sauntered a block away on South First Street to party at the Pete Be Center, a yet-to-open venue for live music that looks ready to go (and is an entire transformation of when the space was Uproar Brewery a few years back).
Toasting with Tito’s vodka, the Cinequest regulars said their farewells until next year. But there’s a good chance many of them will also be partaking in Cinejoy, the virtual offshoot of Cinequest that kicked off its weeklong run Monday. It started during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to keep festivalgoers engaged with the work of the independent filmmakers who are Cinequest’s bread-and-butter, but as co-founder Halfdan Hussey told me, it has taken on a life of its own — attracting a much more national and global audience than the in-person festival does. Check it out at creatics.org/cinejoy.
DRAWING OUT THE MYSTERY: “The Mousetrap” holds the record for the longest-running play in the world, and while it won’t get near that status for San Jose’s City Lights Theater Company, the Agatha Christie whodunit’s run is getting an extension. With ticket sales going at a good clip, City Lights has added three performances: 7:30 p.m. on April 10 and 8 p.m. on April 11 and 12. Go to www.cltc.org for tickets.