On view: September 29–December 9, 2023

Paradise and monsters are imaginary but we should never underestimate the power of imagination. In the 15th Century, Europeans thought they had found the Paradise mentioned several times in scripture, but instead, they had arrived at the territories we know today as the American Continent. They wrote in their diaries and letters about their impressions of native people, plants, and animals; when encountering the unknown, they described giants, man-eaters, and headless men. Paradise was exotic, rich, exuberant, and generous; and the monsters that they imagined were terrifying sinners to them. There is no Paradise without Hell and these stories about monsters justified the horrific enterprise of colonization that came next. 

Cristobal Cea: No Monsters, No Paradise is an exhibition inhabited by modern post-colonial versions of those monsters. The Chilean, Boston-based painter and animator Cristobal Cea reimagines these Latin American creatures and invites them to inhabit the gallery space. The monsters walk anxiously, talk among each other, have singing battles, crack a few jokes, and make it through the day. They are not from here, but also not from there; they are imaginary, but also very real.

Monsters walk around the gallery as 3D animations, they are surrounded by big paintings that, as backdrops, show their natural habitat: a dense Latin American forest. These creatures appear to us like ghosts and remind us of the dangers of building ideas about each other from misconceptions and false information. As humans we share the fear of the unknown, the exhibition explores these human complexities and contradictions and invites us to reclaim monstrosity as a transformative force that lives in us.

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El paraíso y los monstruos son imaginarios, pero no debemos dar por sentado los poderes de la imaginación. En el siglo XV, los europeos pensaron que habían encontrado el paraíso mencionado tantas veces en textos religiosos, pero en cambio, habían llegado a los territorios que conocemos hoy como el continente americano. Escribieron en sus diarios y cartas sobre sus impresiones de las personas, las plantas y los animales nativos que vieron; en su encuentro con lo desconocido, describieron gigantes, come-humanos, y hombres sin cabeza. El paraíso era exótico, rico, exuberante y generoso; y los monstruos que imaginaban eran pecadores temibles. No hay paraíso sin infierno y estas historias sobre monstruos justificaron la atroz empresa colonizadora que vendría luego.  

Cristóbal Cea: Sin monstruosos no hay paraíso es una muestra habitada por versiones modernas y post coloniales de esos monstruos. Cristobal Cea, pintor y animador chileno radicado en Boston reimagina estas criaturas Latinoamericanas y las invita a habitar la galería. Los monstruos caminan ansiosos, hablan entre ellos, tienen batallas de canciones, hacen chistes y tratan de pasar el día a día. No son de aquí, y tampoco de allí, son imaginarios, pero también muy reales. 

Estas criaturas caminan por la galería como animaciones 3D, rodeadas de grandes pinturas que, como telones de fondo, muestran su hábitat natural: un espeso bosque latinoamericano. Ellxs see nos aparecen como fantasmas y nos recuerdan lo peligroso que es construir la imagen de los otrxs a partir de información falsa. Como humanos compartimos el miedo a lo desconocido y como seres sociales buscamos reafirmar nuestra identidad en relación a los demás. Esta exhibición nos propone explorar las complejidades y contradicciones humanas y nos invita a reclamar la monstruosidad como una fuerza transformadora que vive en todxs nosotrxs.

Opening Reception and Curatorial Walkthrough

Friday, Sept 29 | 6–9pm

BCA Mills Gallery, 551 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116

Join us for the public opening reception for two fall exhibitions: Cristóbal Cea: No Monsters, No Paradise and, in the Project Room, R. Galvan: Hold Me Harder, 6-9pm in the Mills Gallery, and concurrent Open House in the Artist Studios Building holding our BCA Studio Residency, next door, 5:30-8pm.

RSVP here | Please have your ticket ready for check-in

Please note: Masks are optional. Respect for others’ choices is required.

Rumors and Gossips: A Drawing Experiment

Saturday, Nov. 11 | 7–9pm

BCA Mills Gallery, 551 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116

Join artist Cristóbal Cea for a creative exercise. Gather with us here in the Mills Gallery to learn more about Cea’s work and participate in a collective activity drawing monsters and creatures as described in different journals, books, and written myths. This event takes place in connection with the 2023 Boston Art Book Fair being held on November 11–12 — come by to draw, gossip, and enjoy refreshments after a day full of art books.

Please note: Masks are optional. Respect for others’ choices is required.

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Rumores y chismes: un experimento colectivo de dibujo

Sábado 11 de noviembre, 2023 | 7–9 pm

BCA Mills Gallery, 551 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116

Participe en un ejercicio grupal con el artista Cristóbal Cea. En la exhibición Cristóbal Cea: Sin monstruos no hay paraíso curada por Byte Footage, el artista re-imagina monstruos descriptors por europeos durante la Colonización de América. Reúnase en la Mills Gallery para aprender sobre la obra de Cea y participar de un experimento colectivo y creativo de dibujo a partir de monstruos y criaturas descriptos en diferentes diarios, libros y mitos. Este evento se lleva a cabo en conexión con la Boston Art Book Fair que ocurre en noviembre 11 y 12, 2023 —Venga a dibujar, chusmear y disfrutar de un refrigerio después de un día lleno de libros y arte.

Walkthrough — Cristóbal Cea: No Monsters, No Paradise

Saturday, Dec 2 | 3pm

BCA Mills Gallery, 551 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116

Explore the exhibition guided by the artist and curator! Dive into Cristóbal Cea: NO MONSTERS, NO PARADISE curated by Byte Footage, an exhibition inhabited by monsters. Learn more about the colonial history of America that influenced the artist Cristóbal Cea, have a conversation with the co-curator Julia Szejnblum, ask questions, and maybe even answer some questions yourself.

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This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.