Jesus Benavente: NUESTROWORLD

Opening Thursday, August 13, 2026 | 6 – 8 pm DiverseWorks @ 5601 B Navigation Blvd NUESTROWORLD is a satirical solo installation by Brooklyn-based artist Jesus Benavente. Featuring newly commissioned works, NuestroWorld opens on Thursday, August 13, 2026, transforming 5601 B Navigation Blvd, Houston, TX 77011 into a fictional visitor center for NuestroWorld, encouraging guests to explore Houston beyond the gallery walls and experience the city as an amusement park. The installation will be on view through September 13, 2026, with a closing party on September 11. Gallery hours are Thursday – Saturday, 12 – 6 pm. Admission is free. Through satire and spectacle, NuestroWorld examines how cities construct identity through tourism, branding, memory, and myth, inviting audiences to reconsider Houston’s past and present. The exhibition draws inspiration from pivotal moments in Houston and Texas history, including the opening of the Astrodome and Astroworld in the late 1960s, Selena’s iconic Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo performances in the 1990s, and the folklore surrounding Santa Anna’s capture following the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, highlighting the city’s recurring cycles of ambition, folly, and heartbreak. The title plays on “Astroworld” and uses Spanglish to create the phrase “The World Is Ours,” reframing Houston’s cultural mythology through humor, nostalgia, and critical reflection. Opening Reception Thursday, August 13, 6 – 8 pm Artist and Curator Talk: 6:45 pm Closing Party Friday, September 11, 2026, 6 – 8 pm 6 pm: NuestroWorld x Nuestra Palabra: The Words are Ours Featuring writers unearthing our gente’s role in building the bricks, mortar, and heart of Htown. Master of Ceremonies: Tony Diaz, El Librotraficante, backed up by an army of poetas. 7 pm: special performance by CTS Trio – Queen of Tejano & Latin Tribute Band Performing the greatest Latin hits of all time. ARTIST BIO: Jesus Benavente is a visual artist based in Brooklyn, New York, and born in San Antonio, Texas. Benavente earned an MFA from Rutgers University and attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Recent exhibitions and performances include Reception Rome, Italy; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Queens Museum; LTD Los Angeles; Performa 13, New York; Acre Projects, Chicago; Chinati Foundation, Marfa; the Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, NY; Shin Museum of Art, South Korea; Vox Populi, Philadelphia; and Socrates Sculpture Park, New York. Website: http://jesusbenavente.net Instagram: @testotesto3