What: “Dios Nunca Muere” art show
When: April 2 to May 1
Where: Open Space Art Gallery and Deluge Contemporary Art Gallery
How much: free

God never dies, according to a new art exhibition opening in April. Six UVic visual arts students have assisted in bringing 17 Mexican artists to Canada to showcase the contemporary Oaxacan art scene.

“Dios Nunca Muere (God Never Dies): the visual politics of transmutation in contemporary Oaxacan art” promises a varied and exhilarating display, mixing internationally-renowned work with the vibrancy of youthful vision.

“It’s different than your textbook. It’s different than your TV,” said Aubrey Burke, one of the visual arts students involved. “The public will be fascinated with an interesting representation of an outside culture they may not be exposed to all the time.”

Part of that exposure will be provided by Daniel Guzmán, whose work has been shown in New York, Berlin and Venice. Also, the well-known Dr. Lakra will visit Victoria before continuing on to an exhibit in the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. The lineup contains some of the freshest faces from south Mexico.

“These artists are entirely the newest generation of artists,” said Deluge Contemporary Art Gallery Director Deborah de Boer, pointing out that all but one are under 40.

She and Luis Hampshire are curators for the show. Hampshire and his partner, Jessica Wozny, will also be displaying their work.

Having youth behind the medium produces a message young art students find accessible — unlike studying the past masters in the classroom, this show allows viewers to experience pieces that speak on today’s political and social issues.

“They are making references in some of their art to pop culture that is relevant to us still,” said UVic student Zora Feren.

And being contemporary art, you’ll see expression that goes beyond brush and canvas.

“It’s a form of communication and these people have all chosen to communicate in the same way,” explained Feren. “Not the same medium, not the same content, not the same theory, but through this type of representation.”

The six students are also receiving a unique out-of-class experience. It started when de Boer filled in for a professor on sabbatical. She asked the class if anyone would like to assist with a coming show, and the six raised their hands. Now, they are receiving hands-on knowledge of how the professional art world works.

Witnessing how an art show is put together introduced the group to previously unconsidered job options. Promoters and curators work diligently behind the scene to make having a scene possible at all. Before meeting de Boer, that reality of the industry hadn’t really occurred to Feren.

“If you are going to be a successful studio artist, you’re going to need people in your life who are curators — you are going to need people to promote you,” Feren said. “I don’t think a lot of people think about these positions in a real way.” One of the big surprises for Burke was just how time-consuming putting together a show can be. That is a practical matter that doesn’t get addressed in the theoretical element of the classroom, she said.

“It’s been a long time coming, a few years now putting it together,” said Burke. “It’s not something you just pull out of a hat. There’s a lot of background work and sweat that goes into these things.”

All that work combines to create a show that pushes boundaries and bridges communities — be sure not to miss it.

On April 3, at 3 p.m., Open Space will be hosting a talk with some of the artists and curators involved. For more information, see diosnuncamuere.com.