Julia C. Butridge Gallery Exhibit: Somos Animales Poéticos

Cristina Velásquez opens Somos Animales Poéticos at the Julia C. Butridge Gallery on August 22, a solo exhibition and book presentation that runs through October 3. It's the Austin launch of her monograph, published by Dust Collective in May 2026, so the show works as both a gallery display and a book release.

Velásquez builds the work from the margins of dominant photographic traditions, weaving together photographs and literary fragments into a visual language she describes as a personal mythology. The pieces move across documentary, archival collage, and staged reenactment, drawing on literature and feminisms from the Global South to rethink photographic discourse from Latin American perspectives. Speaking from her position as a Colombian woman, artist, and mother living in Austin, Velásquez reclaims subjectivity against erasure and affirms photography as a medium of connection, critical thought, and poetic expression.

The gallery is part of the Dougherty Arts Center, a multicultural community arts center that's been offering creative expression to Austin residents for over 41 years. The show stays up for six weeks, so you've got plenty of time to swing by.

There are two dates to keep in mind if you want to catch the artist in person: an artist reception on Wednesday, August 26, from 7 to 9 PM, and an artist talk on Wednesday, September 30, also from 7 to 9 PM. The exhibition is free and open to the public at the Julia C. Butridge Gallery, Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704.