Banuet, Haziel (Week Five)

 As I began to read the Carmen Lomas Garza book, I think one thing I noticed about a lot of her artworks were the many depictions of community and family. She creates images of real events that she remembers experiencing such as Cama para Sueños (1985), Cakewalk (1987), or Curandera II (1979). But one image that I personally really liked was Barbacoa para Cumpleaños (1993). This piece kind of wrapped up my childhood. When I was younger everyone’s birthday would be celebrated in the backyard of my aunt’s house and there we would have a barbeque. Yes Garza has created pieces that depict messages of spirituality and social issues, but the elements presented in Barbacoa para Cumpleaños were like a memory. It is through this piece we understand how much Garza values community and family, even if it is depicted through a simple image of a bbq. Another element that this piece holds that can also be seen in many of her other works are the fragments of her own cultural identity. In this piece we see the piñata being hit and the decor hung on the back of the house which can also be interpreted as elements in Mexican celebrations. I think to Garza it is important to her to display her cultural identity through her art because it is not something you usually see in mainstream western art. Overall, this piece was something a little bit more domestic and wholesome from many of her other works.