Collection Focus / Jerome Caja
May 5 – August 15, 2027
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
This exhibition spotlights a recent gift of works by Jerome Caja.
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
2155 Center StreetBerkeley, CA 94720Located between Oxford Street and Shattuck Avenue, one block from Downtown Berkeley BART.
Wednesday–Sunday 11 a.m.–7 p.m.
General: $18
Seniors (65+): $12
Youth (14–18): $5
Children (13 and under): Free
ADA Accessible
Collection Focus / Jerome Caja spotlights a recent gift of works by Jerome Caja (1958–1995). After attending the San Francisco Art Institute, where he earned an MFA in 1986, Caja was part of a group of experimental artists in the Bay Area and participated in a lively queer punk scene, performing both as a drag queen and go-go dancer. Embracing affordable and everyday materials, Caja made paintings in varying combinations of acrylic, watercolor, eyeliner, and nail polish. These intimate pieces, several as small as an inch, demonstrate the intense energy of Caja’s work—audacious, irreverent, personal, political. After testing positive for HIV in 1989, much of Caja’s work reflected on mortality and the fragility of the body. Deeply influenced by his Catholic upbringing, Caja remained humorous and subversive in his approach to social mores and traditions.
Collection Focus / Jerome Caja is curated by Anthony Graham, Senior Curator.
Exhibiting Artists
Jerome Caja
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive is an art museum, movie theater, and film archive, bringing groundbreaking works from around the world to Downtown Berkeley. As part of UC Berkeley, BAMPFA is committed to connecting audiences with the leading artists and filmmakers of our time.
Things to Do Around Here
Kopi Bar and Bakery on BAMPFA’s second floor is famous for their Kopi Avocado and fresh South East Asian flavors from chef Nora Haron. Also of note are the moringa latte, or the pandan desserts fresh from the oven.
Roseli Ilano, Director of Marketing and Audience Development, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
La Note is a beloved French Provençal-inspired bistro that has been serving Berkeley since 1997. Go for the pancakes, french toast, or eggs served until 2 p.m.
Margot Norton, Chief Curator, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Take a stroll across the street from the museum to explore sculptures from BAMPFA’s permanent collection on UC Berkeley’s crescent lawn: Mamma Mobius, 2018, by Mark di Suvero; The Hawk for Peace, 1968, by Alexander Calder; and Sphere Within a Sphere, 1969, by Arnaldo Pomodoro.
Anthony Graham, Senior Curator, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive