Eamon Ore-Giron has taken over James Cohan's two downtown Manhattan galleries with "Conversations with Snakes, Birds, and Stars," an exhibition of new paintings and mosaics running through Dec. 20. The works draw on ancient Mesoamerican and Andean symbology, continuing his long-running "Talking Shit" series, which has previously been shown at the Contemporary Austin, Whitney Museum, and LACMA. In an interview with CULTURED, Ore-Giron discusses how he uses color, mythology, and ritual to create a universe where serpents, birds, and stars engage in dialogue with viewers and across time.
The exhibition matters because it represents a significant moment for Ore-Giron, a Los Angeles-based artist whose practice bridges contemporary abstraction with pre-Columbian iconography, reinterpreting ancient symbols for the current age. By summoning deities like Quetzalcoatl and Coatlicue and exploring themes of transformation, the show highlights how painting can function as an archaic yet evolving language, connecting personal heritage, cultural memory, and spiritual inquiry. It also underscores the growing visibility of Latinx artists in major New York galleries and institutions.