Back-to-school routines return with safety reminders, young entrepreneur’s lemonade stand inspires community and committee moves to limit Council debate and public comment.
Proposed changes would establish 15-minute caps for initial Councilmember remarks and allow presiding officers to shorten public comment during crowded meetings.
Artists Richie “Deladeso” Velazquez and Cosme Cordova opened their collaborative exhibition “Yonque” at Division 9 Gallery during last weekend’s ArtsWalk, transforming discarded materials and found objects into a pointed critique of consumer culture and personal complicity. The show runs through the end of the month.
While “Yonque” tackles serious social, political, and cultural themes, it also drips with humor and joy. As much as can be read into the exhibition, it also stands on its own with a whimsical aesthetic.
The title draws from the colloquial Spanish word yonque, which originally referred to junkyards but has evolved to describe anything cheap, discarded, or low-quality. Both artists move fluidly between two- and three-dimensional forms, using literal junk as both medium and message.
“We use the word generally now. It’s about the trash out by the dumpster as much as it is about the cheap goods that fill the warehouses,” Velazquez explained. The exhibition reflects multiple layers of meaning, from artworks created on discarded surfaces to broader commentary on politics and society’s obsession with mass consumption.
Installations recreate familiar consumer environments, including a convenience store-like setting with an ICE machine, cartoon characters, and signage reading “OOF4LESS”—a nod to Velazquez’s trademark world of Ooflandia, where much of his art takes place. Painted works incorporate shipping boxes, packaging materials, and other found items while maintaining a bright cartoon style that balances serious critique with accessibility.
The artists explore the systems that shape consumer behavior and the choices individuals make within those systems. Their work owns up to complicity while finding humor in the absurdity of throwaway culture, using bold colors and playful visuals to deliver heavy messages with a light touch.
Cordova, who owns Division 9 Gallery, will continue the exhibition’s community focus with a RAM TAKE OVER event series, culminating in a concert featuring Milpa and Quitapenas during the next ArtsWalk. The gallery is located at 3425 Mission Inn Ave. in Riverside.
More information about the exhibition and artists is available on Instagram @division9gallery and @deladeso.
“Yonque” shows how discarded materials can be transformed into art—and how humor can make space for honest reflection and community dialogue about what we value and why.
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