DALLAS — In the summer of 2022, Dallas artist Antonio Lechuga was on the rise. His first solo gallery show, Fences, opened to acclaim, featuring towering lattice sculptures wrapped in cobijas, thick blankets commonly used in many Latino households. But just days before the exhibition closed, his life changed in an instant.
Lechuga was shot while running on the Santa Fe Trail near his studio. Two bullets pierced his abdomen, damaging a lung, large intestine, gallbladder, and his left kidney. He later developed kidney disease, forcing him to carefully monitor his health.
“I had to start over, with my body and myself,” Lechuga said. “Forget the work. I had to start as a person again.”
The shooting followed a period of personal reflection. In 2020, Lechuga had contracted COVID-19, which prompted him to expand his work from painting to three-dimensional sculptures. His fence installations were inspired by the U.S.-Mexico border, but rather than cold, dividing barriers, he wrapped them in blankets to convey warmth, comfort, and a sense of belonging.
After his recovery, Lechuga taught himself to sew, creating large fabric collages using cobijas as a palette. His works depict landscapes, cultural imagery, and religious iconography. A piece portraying the trail where he was shot was acquired by the Dallas Museum of Art, and he also constructed a 92-foot tapestry of flowers honoring families affected by mass gun violence in 2022.
Lechuga’s work has been displayed at the Oak Cliff Cultural Center, Liliana Bloch Gallery, and Ballroom Marfa. Maggie Adler, an independent curator, praised his art as conceptual yet accessible, adding, “What they won’t see is the kindness and generosity with which it’s created. Antonio is a really good, gentle, earnest, talented human being.”
Three and a half years after the shooting, Lechuga has rebuilt his life, returning to the trail for runs with his dog, Chanclas, and planning to run a half or full marathon in the future.
Dallas police arrested two men in connection with the shooting about a month later. Gilbert Uvalle pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six years in prison; the case against the second suspect was dismissed in late 2023.
Lechuga said the experience has taught him patience and resilience. “It’s never zero to 100 and you’re better,” he said. “It’s a very, very slow climb up that hill.”