Six paintings exploring themes of “cultural barriers” and “walls” in a show titled “Walls of Jericho” will be taking the spotlight at New London’s Expressiones Gallery over the next month.

The show's artist, Rodrigo Orozco, is an up-and-coming artist hailing from Mexico and has been a resident artist of the gallery and living in New London since January. According to Lee Toth, a member of the gallery's board, New London has provided endless artistic fodder to Orozco — inspirations that have been incorporated into a body of work that is mostly surrealist in nature. Influenced by the great surrealists who have come before him (think: Spanish painter Remedios Varo and "Shape of Water" director Guillermo del Toro), Orozco has managed to complete an impressive body of work since arriving to the Whaling City. Fun fact: After creating an artistic sculpture for del Toro (the two lived in the same Mexican town), the acclaimed director invited Orozco, then 14, to his home for dinner. Now at 26 years old, Orozco has already made a strong artistic reputation for himself, garnering several awards over the years and showing internationally while also balancing a film career in stop motion and claymation.

“Walls of Jericho” will run through June 9 and is free and open to the public. Expressiones Gallery is located at 625 Bank St., New London. Admission is free. Hours are 2 p.m.-6 p.m. Fri.; (860) 501 9278, www.expressiones.org. — Mary Biekert