Dustin Staggs
NWA Democrat-Gazette
A voyage through time, identity and abstraction awaits visitors at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, where multidisciplinary artist Jeffry Cantu’s latest exhibition, “Sublime Abstractions,” will be on display until June 1. The exhibit, which spans six years of work, showcases Cantu’s distinct artistic progression as influenced by his Mexican origin, military duty and personal experiences.
Jeffry Cantu was born in Bay City, Texas, where he lived until he was 10 years old. He then spent five years in Houston before moving to Arkansas and attending high school in Mansfield.
At 45, Cantu is a U.S. Navy veteran, stationed in Japan from 2000 to 2004, whose creative style combines colorful textures, layered abstraction, and, in other works, found objects that create a feeling of immersive movement.
The title of the exhibit at RAM was inspired by the pure notion that Cantu wanted to keep it simple.
“’Sublime,’” he says over the phone. “Basically a calmness. Not being arrogant.”
That’s who Cantu is. Someone who tries his best to be humble but isn’t afraid to give himself credit where credit is due and acknowledges where he’s been to get to this moment in his career.
“This is a turning point to showcase my work,” he says. “So, I wanted something on that level. I don’t want it to be pretentious or anything. But I made it.”
Many of his abstract pieces in the show are layered with textured paint and shapes that allude to hidden forms — houses, people and faces. Other works in the exhibit, such as “T-Rex,” integrate common items like yarn, straw, bamboo and nets — most likely coming from any of the local thrift stores where Cantu says he gets all his supplies.
As a full-time artist with no access to a studio, Cantu works on all of his projects in the comfort of his living room, taking breaks to look after his pets, he says.
“Basically, [art] is therapeutic for me,” says Cantu. That kind of therapy reveals itself in “Sublime Abstractions.”
“Frog World,” dedicated to his husband Zachary Tally, is among the collection’s most intimate and eye-catching pieces.
“He likes frogs,” Cantu says with a light chuckle. It’s evidently that simple, but strikingly beautiful. “I think I had given him [that piece] as a gift or some anniversary gift.”
“Freedom” is a defining work of art for Cantu that delves into America’s complicated identity using symbolic materials: yarn and thread to signify blood on the cornhusk. “The cornhusk represents Cantu’s Mexican ancestry,” the artist statement next to the work states. Shards of broken mirror indicate reflection and lessons learned from the past.
Another striking piece, “Pandemic I,” captures the turmoil and uncertainty of the global catastrophe while channeling the spirit of the early 20th century Dada Movement — a movement Cantu states he often dreams of living in. The art, poetry and performance produced by Dada artists was often satirical in nature, according to the Tate Gallery.
“Surrealism and abstraction are my favorite subjects,” Cantu states. “I feel as if I’m a chaotic dream where no one really knows what is happening.”
Despite never finishing his official studies at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, Cantu completed his education through experience. Prior to the pandemic, he volunteered and assisted in the organization of shows at Bastion Gallery, a pop-up location that showcased Northwest Arkansas artists.
Cantu’s work has received lots of attention throughout Arkansas, with pieces displayed at Art Ventures in Fayetteville along with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, which teamed up with him in 2020 to bring art to local communities in collaboration with the Fayetteville Housing Authority.
In addition, Cantu has a long-standing connection to the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum. He has previously volunteered at the museum and received second place in FSRAM’s Invitational Award in 2019 with “Freedom.” Now that he has his own solo exhibition in the venue, it feels like a full circle, he says.
He believes the museum saw his motivation and dedication. Rather than trying to get his work shown in galleries where visitors would have to pay, he was excited to have his work displayed in FSRAM’s gallery, where others could easily access it.
“I want someone from the area to see what they can do,” Cantu says.
Besides using art as a means of therapy, Cantu believes that art is is also about inspiring others. He says he wants others to be encouraged to be creative on their own terms.
The exhibit’s centerpiece, the eponymous “Sublime Abstractions,” experiments with depth and perception, conjuring up images of portals into alternate times and universes.
“The flat portions on the wall enhance the space and create more depth for the viewer to subconsciously escape with,” says Cantu. “The colors signify movement and technicolor. The majority of my art has a sense of depth through transcendence. It’s self-reflection and escapism into one.”
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FAQ
‘Sublime Abstractions’
WHEN — Showing through June 1; hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday
WHERE — Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, 1601 Rogers Ave., Fort Smith
COST — Free
INFO — fsram.org/jeffry-cantu
