Join Ming Toy Gallery on Friday, September 4, for What We Carry, a solo exhibition featuring the work of Mexican American painter, sculptor and muralist Eduardo Gardea. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with CIRA — Center for Immigrant & Refugee Advancement as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Gardea is a self-taught artist whose work explores identity, resilience and the emotional landscapes of everyday life. Drawing from personal memory, collective history and the cultural experiences of the Mexican American diaspora, his work reflects on the people, places and experiences that shape a sense of belonging.

Working primarily in painting, with sculpture also forming part of his studio practice, Gardea creates expressive figurative works centered on presence, spirit and lived experience. Through color, rhythm and symbolic form, he highlights the dignity and endurance of communities whose stories are often left out of dominant cultural narratives, including immigrants, Indigenous peoples and working-class families.

Gardea’s work has been collected nationally and internationally. He is a recipient of the LALA Fellowship and has participated in multiple Bemis Center Art Auctions. His public artwork and commissions can also be found throughout the Midwest, including a recent installation with UNMC’s Catalyst Innovation Space and a mental-health-centered solo exhibition created in partnership with Family Room and the UNMC College of Nursing.

What We Carry offers the Omaha community an opportunity to experience Gardea’s work while celebrating art, culture and the stories that connect communities during Hispanic Heritage Month.