A new group exhibition titled 'At the East of My Past and the West of My Future' opens at the South Broadway Cultural Center Gallery in Albuquerque, running from May 28 to July 17. Curated by multidisciplinary artist Watermelon7, the show features 14 artists who reinterpret the city's iconic Big I interchange as a symbol of movement, identity, and transformation. Inspired by Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road' and Route 66, the works explore personal and collective journeys through paintings, mixed-media pieces, and installations.
This exhibition matters because it reframes a major urban infrastructure landmark—Albuquerque's Big I—as a cultural crossroads, connecting themes of ancestry, migration, and community resilience. By centering the perspectives of local and Indigenous artists, including the curator's own Isleta Pueblo and Diné heritage, the show highlights how public spaces can hold deep personal and historical meaning. It also underscores the role of community-based art in fostering dialogue about place and identity in the American Southwest.