Weaving Through a Time of Reckoning: Miguel Arzabe's Storytelling, Cultural Resilience, and Creative Innovation

Johansson Projects is pleased to announce Sin Contar Cincuenta, the third solo exhibition by Oakland-based artist Miguel Arzabe with the gallery. Arriving at a moment of heightened social and cultural reckoning, the exhibition features a dynamic body of new weavings that reflect not only a rich "pluriverse" of influences-interpolated ways of being and expression that span the artist's personal life, Bolivian heritage, and art historical precedent-but also the urgent need to honor and defend cultural plurality in today's world.

Arzabe's innovative practice unites painting and weaving, forging a unique visual language that draws from ancient Andean textile traditions and modern abstract forms. In his signature process Arzabe begins by painting two canvases, often using techniques of mid-century gestural abstraction. The paintings are subsequently cut into strips, woven into new compositions by hand, and stretched. This method destabilizes the flat, continuous surface of traditional canvas paintings, producing works that balance formal experimentation with conventions of narrative, landscape, and cultural signification.

The title Sin Contar Cincuenta (Without Counting Fifty) alludes to the artist's recent milestone birthday, but more deeply, to the refusal to be confined by a single narrative or tradition-an especially resonant stance in an era of contested histories and shifting borders. The works are titled primarily in Spanish, with some in Aymara, reflecting Arzabe's personal journey of reconnecting with his Bolivian roots and the languages that shape his heritage. Some pieces encapsulate stories or memories: Atocsita recalls his daughter's favorite toy and its roots in indigenous folklore; La Noche Azul evokes a starlit night in the Altiplano; La Bahía de Niebla captures the dawn mist over the San Francisco Bay.

Beyond storytelling, Arzabe expands the vocabulary of weaving by pushing the boundaries of abstraction. For example, El Gradiente employs a mathematically repetitive pattern reminiscent of a dot matrix printer, while Phisqa Tunka (fifty in Aymara) emerges from improvisational, irregular patterns. Additionally, the Recortejidos series represents experiments with repurposed kite string and end-cut canvas strips to iterate upon simple, geometric forms.
Through a self-described process of "productive confrontation" capitalizing on the aesthetic synergies between Andean weaving and modern and contemporary art, Sin Contar Cincuenta offers complex, layered explorations of identity, inheritance, and resilience at a time when cultural diversity and creative freedom face renewed challenges. The exhibition invites viewers to consider pluralities of meaning and experience, affirming the dynamic intersections between tradition and experimentation that define Arzabe's practice.
Sin Contar Cincuenta runs from January 17 - March 21, 2026 with an opening reception and artist talk on January 17, from 3-5pm.

For all inquiries, contact Johansson Projects at 510-444-9140 or info@johanssonprojects.com

2300 Telegraph Ave.
Oakland, CA 94612

Kimberly Johansson
5104449140
kimberly@johanssonprojects.com

Johansson Projects is a contemporary art gallery that functions as a curatorial laboratory, creating exhibitions that pair established and internationally-recognized artists with up-and-coming locals. Its unique architecture allows for innovative exhibitions, prompting viewers to actively engage with artists who explore the delicate mysteries embedded in modernity often using unorthodox materials and methods. Johansson Projects is a locus for curators, collectors, and artists to connect and engage in dialogue with the larger art community both regionally and nationally.

This release was published on openPR.