The long-running MexiCali Biennial got a recent boost from Mellon Foundation and is currently making its mark in the eastern LA suburb of Whittier. The space, which also houses an archive, MXCL BNL LAB545, is located in an unpretentious storefront, betraying an ambition that punches above its weight. The current show of Ed Gomez works, smartly curated by The Huntington Museum’s Armando Pulido Jr., is mounted in too-tight quarters—it needs double the space—but the impact is oversized. The imposing sculpture, Pale Horse (2016-2017), composed of laser-cut Styrofoam, dominates the gallery, a striking paean to the destructive mythical beast and metaphor for American imperialism’s hostile intentions. On an adjacent wall hangs a quartet of nearly full-sized oil on canvas paintings: the haunting Four Housemen 1-4, depicting figures in hazmat suits, police armor, and protective gear—a haunting spectacle of contemporary defensive armaments. Gomez’s conceptually based approach, precise painting, and sculptural acumen are cleverly deployed here. It’s a mesmerizing display of intellectual maximalism, utilizing themes of space exploration, extraterrestrial presence, and apocalyptic myths as metaphors for surveillance, policing, and control.

Ed Gomez: Sacred Disruption
MXCL BNL LAB
6545 Greenleaf Ave.,
Whittier, CA 90601
On view through March 8th, 2025