Vincent Price Art Museum Presents Eva Aguila: Vino de Sangre
April 1, 2025
On View: April 26 – Sept. 13, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 26, 2025, 6 to 8 p.m.
MONTEREY PARK, Calif. – Opening April 26, 2025, the Vincent Price Art Museum (VPAM) at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) proudly presents Eva Aguila: Vino de Sangre. In her first solo museum exhibition, artist Eva Aguila researches the history of the Mission grape and wine production in the Catholic Mission System to examine the effects of colonization in what was once “Nueva España,” now Mexico and California.
“This project began as part of my healing journey—not only to reconcile with my own family history but also to acknowledge the shared history of the region we now call Mexico,” said Aguila. “The dark past that has engulfed us these last 500 years is now being reawakeneD because our ancestors need us to remember. By understanding this history, we can break the spell, heal from the destruction, and reconnect with what truly matters: living in harmony with the land.”
Utilizing somatic memory and archival research, Aguila reflects on the impact of the 1524 decree by Hernán Cortés, “Ordenanzas de buen gobierno” (“Ordinances of Good Governance”), tracing 500 years of the Mission grape’s historical ties to religious conversion and the subjugation of Indigenous peoples.
This immersive exhibition presents newly commissioned artworks that foster reflection, healing, and dialogue about the legacies of Spanish colonialism in Los Angeles and across North America. Artworks in the exhibition include ceramic sculptures resembling 500-year-old goblet vines, linens stained with ink made from Mission grapes, and infrasound recordings and video footage recorded across historically significant Missions and wine sites in Guanajuato, Alta California, and the Baja California peninsula. Together, these elements recontextualize histories of agriculture, religion, and nation-building, illuminating the power of art to address historical erasure and reinterpret narratives about Latinx and Indigenous cultures.
“Eva Aguila is a treasured artist and leader within the experimental media arts scene of Los Angeles, who has championed the work of multidisciplinary artists for over a decade,” said VPAM Curator of Exhibitions Joseph Daniel Valencia. “Vino de Sangre represents a milestone in Aguila’s career–her first solo museum exhibition–and it is also the first project of a new three-year media arts initiative organized by the museum. We look forward to spotlighting Aguila’s work as well as the work of other talented and inspiring emerging media artists, whose practices collectively resonate with our students and the communities we serve in Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, and beyond.”
Eva Aguila: Vino de Sangre is organized by the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College. It is curated by Gloria Ortega, Curatorial Assistant, and Joseph Valencia, Curator of Exhibitions.
The exhibition’s opening will be celebrated with a reception on Saturday, April 26, from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is free, no reservations required. In preparation for the reception, the Museum will be closed during the day on April 26.
Additional events, including educational and public programs, will take place during the exhibition’s run. Details will be announced soon on the VPAM website.
About the Artist
Eva Aguila is an interdisciplinary artist and organizer based in Los Angeles. Her artistic practice engages with video, sound, and installation, and in recent years has incorporated research and oral histories of the Mexican diaspora, specifically her ancestral and familial communities of rural Michoacán. She has exhibited and performed locally at the SUR:biennial (2023); CURRENT:LA FOOD (2019); and Human Resources, Los Angeles (2013) and internationally in Mexico, Europe, Asia, and Australia. In 2015, Aguila co-founded Coaxial Arts Foundation, an artist-run non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the work of experimental sound, video, and performance artists. She holds an MFA from the USC Roski School of Art and Design and a BFA from the School of Theater at the California Institute of the Arts.
The exhibition is presented as part of Media Cycles, a three-year media arts initiative generously supported by Teiger Foundation.
All exhibitions and programs at the Vincent Price Art Museum are underwritten by the Vincent Price Art Museum Foundation and East Los Angeles College.
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About Vincent Price Art Museum
The Vincent Price Art Museum (VPAM) at East Los Angeles College serves as a unique educational resource for the diverse audiences of the college and the community through the exhibition, interpretation, collection, and preservation of works in all media of the visual arts. VPAM provides an environment to encounter a range of aesthetic expressions that illuminate the depth and diversity of artwork produced by people of the world, both contemporary and past. By presenting thoughtful, innovative, and culturally diverse exhibitions and by organizing cross-disciplinary programs on issues of historical, social, and cultural relevance, VPAM seeks to promote knowledge, inspire creative thinking, and deepen an understanding of and appreciation for the visual arts. Learn more about VPAM at VPAM.org.
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About East Los Angeles College
East Los Angeles College (ELAC) is the largest of nine two-year community colleges within the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). More information about ELAC is available online at www.elac.edu. Follow ELAC on social media at Facebook @EastLACollege, X/Twitter @EastLACollege, and Instagram @ELACHuskies.
For VPAM press inquiries, please contact Katie Dunham, Katie Dunham Communications, at katie@katiedunham.net.
Image: Detail of newly commissioned artwork, 2025. Painting on linen made with natural ink from mission grapes. Courtesy of the artist.