Abel Alejandre
Scenic: Landscapes of an Empire
November 21 – December 19, 2026
Opening Reception:
Saturday, November 21, 6pm – 9pm
Gallery Hours:
Saturday: 12pm – 5pm & By Appointment
LAUNCH Gallery
170 S. La Brea Ave. #202, Los Angeles, CA 90036
LAUNCH Gallery and The National Tourism Board of Xicanoland proudly present new paintings by celebrated Mexican-American artist Abel Alejandre. Scenic: Landscapes of an Empire is the third installment of Xicanoland, an ongoing body of work, built in chapters, that continues to expand as a living counter-archive.
In this new series we present the nation itself: a contiguous tapestry of confederated states comprising plains our surveyors mapped, coastlines our fleets charted, valleys where the first launchpads rose, and skylines beneath our sky gods.
These panoramas are our patrimony. Remain on the marked trails.
Scenic: Landscapes of Empire presents the prospect of horizons without foreign borders, of monuments never razed, of territories never surrendered. The landscape remembers no conquest, only continuity. Just as every great nation curates its scenery, Xicanoland embraces its self-determination.
Landscape is an instrument of empire, shaped in the hearts and imaginations of its patriots. The vista, the “empty” frontier, was long-claimed land before treaties were ever signed. Our institutions decided what would be remembered. If a vista appears untouched, ask who called it vacant. If the horizon appears limitless, ask who drew the border.
These are official views of what could have been, preserved so that what was becomes visible by contrast. Monuments, borders, place names, scenic overlooks: none are neutral. Neither is the view.
Admire responsibly. The land, like the nation, belongs to itself.
About Abel
The first seven years of my life unfolded in Tierra Caliente, a remote stretch of Michoacán where running water and electricity were myths whispered by travelers. Our extended family gathered regularly in Apatzingán—the nearest town with paved streets—until we emigrated to Los Angeles in 1975. Crossing that border felt like leaping a full century, and the shock of redefining what it means to belong has never left my work.
During my formative years we lived in Wilmington, California, in a time-worn Spanish-style complex we called “The Standing Dead.” Wilmington is still the hometown that shaped me. Its mosaic of communities—some welcoming, others wary—taught me to read the subtle codes of public space. Salvation arrived each afternoon at the local Boys Club, where I could sketch, read, and shoot billiards in blessed quiet. Those after-school sessions with stubby pencils marked the first stirrings of a vocation that would become consuming.
Today I work primarily in graphite on paper, canvas, or wood, though process often dictates medium. A single finished drawing may devour hundreds of hours and entire fistfuls of pencils, yet the patience required feels devotional rather than tedious. I also practice self-taught printmaking, a discipline I have pursued for more than two decades.
Masculinity threads through much of my imagery, it has been a life long interrogation of the codes of conduct. Roosters appear frequently—regal, ordinary, relentlessly combative—standing in for men whose codes of honor are equal parts armor and burden. I do not search for definitive answers; I record what I observe in hopes of mapping the contradictions.
Recent milestones have expanded that map. In early 2025 MUZEO Museum and Cultural Center mounted “¡CUARENTA!,” a 40-year retrospective curated by Mat Gleason that gathered drawings, woodcuts, and large-scale installations created between 1984 and 2024. The exhibition affirmed four decades of restless inquiry while introducing new audiences to the quieter whispers of my archive.
LAUNCH LA believes exposure to the arts enhances quality of life and strengthens community for all through the shared appreciation of creative expression in all its forms and hybrids. LAUNCH LA is passionate about providing all artists regardless of background, race, color, creed or sexual orientation with quality opportunities to present themselves and their creations that reflect our times to curious and enthusiastic audiences at our Gallery and at important happenings throughout Los Angeles County.
LAUNCH LA recognizes our presence on Tovaangar, the unceded ancestral lands of the Gabrielino-Tongva people who are its rightful caretakers and whose connection to the land water, and culture we benefit.