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McALLEN — Walking into Ponte Creative Studio & Gallery, one could be forgiven for assuming that fresh coffee is being brewed.

The strong smell of coffee lingers throughout the studio, but once passed the main entrance the source of the roasted scent becomes visible.

In the center of the studio in a pink glow from overhead lights is “Sueños Rosas,” a Little Tikes playground painted pink and surrounded by a carpet of coffee grounds.

The piece is part of Victoria Cantu’s solo exhibition titled, “Forget-Me-Not.” Cantu, who identifies as they/them, is a multidisciplinary artist from Mission whose work captured the eye of Trucha RGV Community Engagement Coordinator Ramiro Gonzalez following an exhibit at St. Edward’s University in Austin earlier this year.

Gonzalez said that Victoria’s work, which aims to immerse the viewer into their own memories of growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, resonated with him and felt relatable to his own experiences as someone who grew up on both sides of the border.

“It is like a dream space of walking through Victoria’s memories,” Gonzalez said. “It’s the way that she wants to capture them and hold them. You feel like this is something that will really resonate with a lot of folks here.”

“Forget-Me-Not” is Victoria’s way of taking the memories of youth and bringing them to life through an amalgamation of different mediums.

Victoria said that the pieces serve as a personal archive since Victoria does not have videos from growing up.

“I think this is sort of me trying to recreate family archives or my memories as a kid, and also to keep my loved ones who have passed alive,” Victoria said. “I think I’ve been like grieving a lot lately some of my family members, and so it’s sort of my way of dealing with anxiety around death and just grief in general, and thinking about good childhood memories and like family ties.”

Victoria’s exhibit features six pieces that bring memories to life with props and video projections. One piece, titled “Entre Mundos” features a sink with a video of goldfish projected over it.

Another piece, titled “Forget-me-not” features a bed with pink gloves near a Rosary while a video of roses is projected and iPads in the pillows display a pair of eyes. Blinds hanging on the side of the bed depict a scene of Victoria cutting vegetables, a scene intended to capture Victoria’s memories.

“I’m really experimenting with projection and projection mapping,” Victoria said. “That’s important to me because I think there’s a lot of layers in my identity, being Mexican American and queer and non binary. I think that my work also requires layers. So the projection on top of objects, for me, helps tell that story.”

The various props, the video projections, and the pink hue from the overhead lights gives the exhibit a dreamlike feel. Victoria said that the intention is that viewers of the pieces can be transported to Victoria’s childhood.

“I really love bright colors,” Victoria said. “Somebody told me that it feels like we’re walking into my memory of being a child. I think that’s really healing for everybody to walk into something like that.”

Victoria wants to conjure up memories, good and bad, of a shared experience for many who have lived in border communities like the Rio Grande Valley. Victoria said that through “Forget-Me-Not,” hopefully others can see it as a safe space to experience and confront their own emotions.

“I want people to know that it’s a safe space and they can feel welcome to cry or feel all of those things,” Victoria said. “It’s just remembering your family members who have passed. I’m really happy to be showing this in the Valley. I showed it in Austin, but I was born here. So it’s about people who are born here. My family is from here, so I think it’ll connect with a lot of people from the Valley.”

“Forget-Me-Not” will be on view through Oct. 16. Anyone interested in viewing the exhibit may do so during the gallery’s hours of operation, from Thursday through Saturday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Updates about Victoria’s work can be seen through their Instagram account, @onlinebedroom, or at www.myonlinebedroom.com.

For more information about Ponte Creative Studio & Gallery and additional events to be held there, follow their Instagram account, @truchargv.

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