Pablo Cardoza Gallery will kick off 2026 with “The Unseen,” a two-person exhibition featuring Houston-based artist Rene Cruz and San Antonio-based artist Albert Alvarez.
The show highlights the intersection of illustration, design, and fine art, showcasing both artists’ prolific drawing practices that capture the profound and the everyday.
Art by Rene Cruz (submitted photo)
The exhibition runs from Jan. 16 through March 1, 2026, at the gallery, 803 William St. #3, Houston, TX 77002.
An opening reception will be held Friday, Jan. 16, from 7-10 p.m.
Gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 1-6 p.m., or by appointment.
Rene Cruz, who grew up in South Texas near the border, has exhibited locally since 2005 at venues including Pablo Cardoza Gallery, Lawndale Art Center, The Joanna and Domy Books. His pen-and-ink drawings (occasionally incorporating digital tools) embrace looseness, imperfection, humor and unexpected connections. Subject matter often stems from overheard conversations, wordplay, current events and blind contour drawing.
Albert Alvarez, born in 1983, has been exhibiting since 2006, with four solo shows, more than 20 group exhibitions, and works in collections including the San Antonio Museum of Art and the City of San Antonio. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (BFA), Alvarez draws from his working-class upbringing in San Antonio’s Southside barrio, influences like his father’s traffic-sign career, and themes of poverty, addiction, violence, sexuality, religion and war. His meticulously rendered paintings and drawings blend grotesque elements with beauty, informed lately by Buddhist philosophy.
For more information, visit pablocardozagallery.com