German Rojas Work on Show at Maíz de la Vida | Bites

Many components go into being an ideal restaurant. Meals high quality, service and decor are clearly key components, however giving again to the neighborhood can be an important a part of going from good to nice. At Maíz de la Vida, chef and proprietor Julio Hernandez undoubtedly has the meals and hospitality points locked down.

And as for giving again, Maíz de la Vida matches the invoice, establishing this week to present 1,800 meals to folks affected by the extreme winter storm.

The hassle to contribute to the neighborhood may also be discovered within the daring and colourful decor of the restaurant. Hernandez is not simply attempting to make the place look engaging; he genuinely needs to showcase native artwork and artists on each the inside and exterior of his restaurant. The daring mural that adorns the wall across the entrance was initially going to be simply the identify of the restaurant, however Julio stepped in to contract native artist Eric “Mobe” Bass to create a murals to share with the neighborhood, together with these individuals who aren’t even eating at his restaurant. He additionally preserved the favored Tess Davies mural that was already there earlier than he moved in.

Inside, Hernandez has provided the restaurant as gallery house for different creators since he first opened. He supplies free house for artists to share their work with new audiences and even promote their items with no gallery fee. Most lately, Maíz de la Vida hosted a 10-month residency that includes work by Rubén Torres, preceded by ceramicist César Pita.

Julio has partnered with Jay Sanchez, a neighborhood artwork curator who focuses on the neighborhood, id and the lived realities of immigrant and BIPOC communities. As a devoted advocate for collaboration, Sanchez works with each standard and unconventional gallery areas to introduce new audiences to find works by the artists he recruits.

Jay and Julio got here collectively over discussions concerning the Estamos Unidos en Nashville program. Julio was struck by the idea of “all of us” and determined it was a disgrace to not make the most of the engaging house in his eating room.

“We’ve been ecouraging clients to purchase artwork since we first opened,” he tells me. “We allow them to make 100% of the proceeds, and we’re simply right here to look fairly.”

For the most recent Hernandez/Sanchez joint, they’ve recruited Mexico Metropolis-raised, Sewanee-educated and NYC-based artist Germán Rojas to show three works, hopefully for the remainder of 2026. One of many work is on mortgage from Sanchez’s private assortment together with one other from Rubén Torres that Sanchez has provided for show.

Sanchez describes the exhibit this fashion: “These work come from a sequence impressed by The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. The work discover the archetypes, mythologies and tales which have appeared throughout completely different cultures for hundreds of years suggesting that, no matter our background, all of us inform comparable hero tales and are heroes of our personal journeys.”

These themes match proper up Rojas’ alley. “I’m all the time desirous about narrative,” he says. “Campbell highlights every of our narratives inside his underlying construction, and Jay and Julio bought my wheels turning concerning the ideas of mythology. I see Latinos as warriors.”

The 4 items are fairly dramatic:

1. “Aztec Warrior” by Ruben Torres, on mortgage from The Sanchez Assortment

2. “The Minotaur’s Maze” by German Rojas 

3. “Prometheus” by German Rojas

4. “Imaginative and prescient of the Popol Vuh” by German Rojas, on mortgage from The Sanchez Assortment 

Personally, I’m particularly struck by the depiction of Theseus and the Minotaur in Daedalus’ maze. It’s an enormous piece, 7.5-by-6-feet, stretched throughout three panels. The facility that man and beast convey at that scale is palpable, and the daring shade selections are actually intriguing to me. As a diner, I believe artwork actually provides to your complete expertise.

There are additionally advantages to the restaurant.

“Jay and I spend quite a lot of time collectively at Maíz, as a result of we each like speaking about artwork and consuming mescal,” joked Julio. “However we’re not a cookie-cutter Mexican restaurant, and the vibe modifications with the artists. Having the artwork additionally energizes the crew and makes them extra inventive!”