Judith F. Baca: Killed by a Placa

Judith F. Baca was born in 1946 in Los Angeles to Mexican American parents. Baca is an eloquent muralist, painter, monument builder and UCLA professor of Chicana/o Studies. Through her art, “She insists on oppositional tactics and formal strategies of “speaking back,” in a quest for social justice” (Indych-Lopez, 2). Baca’s artwork allows inspiration to grow within the observer and teaches relevant educational history . Her 1974 Killed by a Placa is made with wood stain on paper and was created to speak out against the systemic violence on the inner-city streets. In this work, Baca painted a boy as his body slumps at the edge of the street with blood spilling from his stomach. “His body is idealized through the musculature and large hands that suggest his strength (Indych-Lopez, 56). However, Baca depicts his vulnerability by the twisting lines forming his corpse. She embraces graffiti in her work by painting a tag (placa) that reads “Toro” and “WF” in “cholo” writing  on the boy’s face. She acknowledges that tagging is the product of males seeking authority and ownership over public territory. I really enjoyed the visual representation of the danger males face within public spaces that exclude them because it sheds lights on problems that are inappropriate. Her public artworks clearly embodies the ability of giving people a voice.  Her educational and community based art methodologies that are applied to her work serves to demonstrate her identity and her passion. In all her pieces, she pursues her creative spirit and allows us to reflect the lives of communities that have been historically silenced.