Amalia Mesa-Bains

The artist I am doing my presentation on is Amalia Mesa-Bains. She is a Chicana visual artist from Santa Clara, California, most known for her altar installations. She was the person who theorized domesticana aesthetic, the Chicana version of rasquachismo that we wrote about in a previous blog post and talked about in class. One of her most recognized installation pieces is An Ofrenda for Dolores del Rio. Dolores del Rio was a Mexican actress that is regarded as the first crossover Latina star in Hollywood and rose to prominence during the 1920s and 1930s. She was regarded as a cultural icon and a symbol of women's empowerment to many Chicanas and Latinas who grew up watching her on the big screen because of how she was able to navigate "'two very distinct cultural arenas at a moment when it was not OK for women to do that and not OK for a Mexican to do that'" (artnews.com). Mesa-Bains decided to create this installation a year after her death in order to honor the late legend, and in this act, she created a new genre of installation art -- altar installation. Like all installations, it is a mixed media piece -- pink satin, plywood, framed photos, dried flowers, and glitter are among the items she used to decorate anf personalize the altar. Her use of mirrors within the altar also allows the viewer to literally see themselves in the altar, which further emphasizes how many Chicanas and Latinas look up to her and find their own empowerment in her legacy (Smithsonian American Art Museum).