After the Volcano presents new work by artists who traveled with curator and artist Gabriela Monterroso through Guatemala. The exhibition traces how direct experience; landscape, labor, history, and daily life enters the studio and reshapes artistic practice.

The group moved through Guatemala City, Antigua, and Lake Atitlán, encountering communities whose lives are shaped by work, tradition, and the presence of nearby volcanoes. Rather than seeking icons or symbols, the artists observed how people build meaning in ordinary moments: the repetition of craft in small workshops, the quiet of a morning market, the tension between ruin and renewal in historic streets, and the way light moves across the mountains.

For Monterroso, who grew up in Guatemala, the exhibition is also a way of reframing how the country is seen. Instead of a romantic or anthropological narrative, After the Volcano focuses on the fragments that stay with each artist—moments that are personal, partial, and honest. The works do not attempt to define Guatemala. They reveal how place imprints itself differently on each person, and how those impressions continue to evolve long after the trip has ended.

After the Volcano marks the fifth anniversary of Monterroso Gallery and reflects its commitment to fostering cross-cultural exchange, supporting Houston artists, and building meaningful dialogue between artistic communities in Guatemala and the United States.