tomorrow is for those who can hear it coming, Julio Cesar Morales‘ current exhibition at New Langton Arts, is brilliant, literally and figuratively. I’m very inspired by how buttoned-up Julio keeps his big video / photo / neon installations. The content is really fantastic — the intersections of Mexican/settler cultures in early California, spelled out in a sequence of images that alternate between tantalizing and visceral. The costumes and decor are spot-on; the cinematography in the video’s is beautiful, quality HD. Very impressive! Congrats to the artist and the non-profit New Langton on such a beautiful exhibition.

And congrats to the latest artist-recipients of the Macarthur “Genius” Grant, including current Headlands AIR, Walter Kitundu, one of the most unconventional artists in the Bay Area, and one of the humblest people around.

Both of these artists are persistent (Walter sold his jeep — which was once his father’s — to fund his Icelandic residency a few years back) and generous (Morales runs an artist-run space and shows often at non-profits; Walter also shows at non-profits like the Luggage Store, performs music, and works at the Exploratorium). So it’s great to see these artists get their dues. And it’s nice to have two more reasons not to worry about being under-the-radar in the Bay Area or showing in non-profits.