In this week's artist presentations, one Chicana artist that stood out in particular was Patssi Valdez. I've always a curiosity and interest in ASCO in general, but I was happy to learn more about Valdez's involvement in the art group. Unfortunately Chicanismo and the art world tend to uphold standards of the patriarchy, and this sexism is what drew me to this particular image. The context of this photograph also draws attention to the still-relevant fight for Chican@ representation in the art world. I chose this image because I think it says a lot about Valdez and what she stood for, and continues to stand for. She refused to be left out of her colegas' act of resistance, and was determined to make her presence and contributions to the group just as notable as what her male counterparts were being praised for. To me this image is the definition of what it is to be chingona - brash, taking up space, refusing to be submissive, and letting your presence be known. I would love to do more research on Patssi Valdez and ASCO one day.
I really love this piece because it was bold and it was in an sense what they were looking for.
ReplyDeleteI also think Patssi is a chingona; and you're right about this image expressing her refusal to be left out and being a form of resisting patriarchy and sexism. I'm happy I was able to learn about Chicana artists while taking a ChicanO theater class that was male dominated and patriarchal. Not only were the political leaders patriarchal so were the artists and play writers. There's still a lot of work to be done to be more inclusive and I can't wait to see more resistance against gender norms and sexual oppression. Queer artists also lack representation so I'm looking forward to finding more queer Chicana art.
ReplyDeleteMuch love,
Janel Preciado