Cracked Velvet: An Artist Talk with Eugene Rodriguez and Louis Jacinto

Artist Eugene Rodriguez, joined by artist, curator, and collaborator, Louis Jacinto, will be in dialog examining the creative forces that inspired the exhibition Velvet Notes: Conversando con Pedro Guzman. The conversation will trace the inspiration, ideas, and experiences that helped shape the artwork featured and tracks the creation and dissolution of the Cracked Velvets.

Saturday, June 13 from 12 - 1 PM

About the Exhibition

by Eugene Rodriguez presents a series of vibrant, pop-art inspired short films, sculpture, prints, and paintings that reflect on themes of artistic creativity and agency through a deeply personal lens. Rodriguez’s alter egos presented in these films examine how images, familial bonds, and cultural heritage construct identity and determine who is seen, heard, and remembered. The exhibition debuts his latest film, The Great Masquerade (2026), which discusses art, artifice, commerce, and politics in the creative industries.

About Eugene Rodriguez

Eugene Rodriguez is a San Francisco-based visual artist, working in painting, printmaking, film, and installation. Rodriguez began his career in fashion design, earning his degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). Through his experiences and exposure to art and global culture during his time as a fashion designer, Rodriguez would go on to shift his focus to painting. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions nationally, and his films have also been featured in numerous national and international film festivals. Rodriguez holds a Bachelor of Arts in Painting from San Francisco State University and a Master of Fine Arts in cross-disciplinary work from Mills College. He continues to teach arts programs in California’s Bay Area.

Image Credit: Eugene Rodriguez, Los Punks Barrocos (detail), 2025, oil and wax on linen on panel. Courtesy of the Artist.