Clarke, Elijah - Week 10 course reflection

 The content of this course has been super engaging and I really appreciated the focus on activism throughout the course and the assignments. Coming into this class I knew very little about Chicanx and Latinx art so many of the concepts were new to me. Reflecting on my time in the class I can point to the concept of Rasquache and our conversations surrounding the significance of the Virgin of Guadalupe as parts of the class that piqued my interest. Rasquache art was super interesting to learn about because it was both a unique art form and a sort of attitude or aesthetic. Growing up there were a lot of “Art-cars” in and around my neighborhood/city but at the time I had no frame of reference for understanding the cars as art I just knew it was eye-catching and unique. I also think that while perhaps it didn’t begin as a commentary on environmentalism, Rasquache art can be an extremely effective form of conveying messages related to sustainability and climate change in addition to class and race and really anything else the artist chooses. In addition to the concept of Rasquache, I learned a ton of new information about La Virgen de Guadalupe. Growing up in a Spanish immersion school and traveling to Central America I had encountered images of La Virgen many times but I only ever really associated it with catholicism. Coming into this class and learning a bit about the history and the continued significance of La Virgen was very eye-opening. I really enjoyed our class examinations of art re-imagining La Virgen because, at least iconographically, La Virgen herself is a reinterpretation of the Virgin Mary through a post-Columbus indigenous lens. It's amazing to me how images such as La Virgen de Guadalupe can remain so culturally significant and recognizable even through such drastic changes to society. Overall I really enjoyed my time in the class and I feel that the format of the course allowed us to explore a variety of topics and artists in a succinct and engaging way.

Clarke, Elijah - Ayala, Venessa Week 9 presentation

     
    This week I have chosen to focus on Andrew Avila's presentation on the artist, Venessa Ayala. Ayala is primarily a visual artist with a focus on pop-art styles and techniques. Informed by feminist discourse, decolonial strategies, and celebrity culture, much of Ayalas art reimagines popular images of iconic figures such as La Virgen de Guadalupe, Mona Lisa, and Frida Kahlo. In her art, Ayala uses vibrant colors and a watercolor-like style that give her pieces an almost ethereal feel. The three pieces, Chola Lisa, Still Here, and Hindu Guadalupe, that Andrew reviewed are all perfect examples of Ayala's art style and overall artistic goals. Each of the three pieces takes creative approaches in contending with issues of colonialism, and the female from while still remaining faithful to the original material. The first piece of the three Chola Lisa, is a take on the iconic Mona Lisa portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci, in reimagining the piece Ayala confronts issues of eurocentric conceptions of "high-art" and beauty ideals. As implied by the title Ayala's piece Still Here piece brings up issues of colonialism and indigeneity. Lastly, the piece Hindu Guadalupe reconstructs the iconic Virgen De Guadalupe image in the context of Hinduism, adding specific details that reference Hindu culture. Through both her reimagining of iconic figures and dreamy color pallets Ayala creates a reality where beauty is inclusive and cultural wealth is equitably and respectfully shared among everyone. 

Clarke, Elijah Week 8 presentation reflection

All the presentations so far have been great and I really appreciate this format of discovering new artists through peer presentations. For this week's blog post I decided to focus on the presentation on Brenda Barrios by Armando Perez. Armando was very organized and clear in his presentation and I thought the pieces he chose to showcase were all very interesting and relevant to current issues. In terms of the artist, the fact that Barrios is a fellow Bruin caught my attention and makes me very impressed and honored to be among such talented peers. Another aspect that I found cool was that while the art was explicit in its messaging the artist includes subtle details and colors to still lean into the emotions of the audience and evoke a certain feeling. The medicare for all piece is interesting in that it is somewhat stripped down compared to other pieces. The background is a soft green color, there is only a single figure in the frame and there is some plant life in the foreground, importantly though, split down the middle by the central figure is a message that reads "Medicare for all". Although the piece is stripped down by simply depicting a figure in gloves, mask, and using a broom with the "Medicare for all" slogan above the artist brings up a lot of social, economic, and institutional issues. While the "Medicare for all piece" is visually simple it does not lack detail, for example, there is a subtle juxtaposition between the sterile cleaning supplies and protective gear worn by the central figure and the plant life that surrounds them that I feel does an excellent job of bringing issues like environmentalism into the conversation, by perhaps pointing out that preventing further environmental damage is a critical step in improving healthcare and expanding access to healthcare.

Clare, Elijah (ZAPATA)

 In her essay, The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now Claudia Zapata examines how the rise of digital media impacted Chicanx movements, activism, and art. Zapata structures the essay in a loosely chronological manner, beginning her analysis with the creation of the internet and early forms of digital media such as lightboards before moving on-to contemporary digital mediums. Although Zapata moves quickly in her review of digital media and the history of the internet, condensing decades of technological advancement into a couple of pages, she is quick to note that digital media has yet to fully replace traditional mediums and she challenges the assumption that it will. A theme throughout the essay is that digital media should not be thought of as oppositional to traditional media; instead, it should be thought of and used as a tool for re-imagining and re-igniting interest in more traditional media. Another theme present throughout the essay is the juxtaposition of creating humanizing art in a seemingly dehumanizing digital medium. Although the internet can be a place of extremely close community, love and support it can also function as the opposite and can be a place of extreme dehumanization, cold communication and distance. Many of the artists discussed by Zapata actively challenge the notion that digital media inherently implies a sense of disconnection, dehumanization, or distance or at least play with the contradiction. One artist in the essay refers to computers as “like an extension of the mind” and another creates and shares extremely vulnerable moments through AR pieces. Additionally as shown by the DDoS attack/ Digital Sit-In staged by the Electronic disturbance theatre in 1998 digital forms of art and activism are not inherently disconnected from reality and vulnerability. Overall Zapata's essay is extremely interesting in its examination of digital media. Another additional note is that the essay itself sort of functions as digital activist art itself because Zapata includes a plea for justice for the transgender woman Layleen Polanco who was killed as a result of extreme medical neglect by correctional officers at Rikers Island in 2019.

Clarke, Elijah - Blog post 6

     After reviewing Xandra Ibarra’s website and videos I found that I was particularly drawn to Ibarra’s La Chica Boom series as well as her Ass Tassel Series, This is the End Pasties Series and Social Body Body piece. The Ass Tassel series, This is the End Pasties Series and the Social Body Body piece are all very different; a common theme of anthropomorphizing inanimate objects through sexuality runs through each of the pieces. The Ass Tassel series attaches tassels to gypsum representations of car headlights and frames each pair of headlights against a bright crimson background. In both the attaching of tassels and the seductive background color Ibarra is effectively sexualizing the car headlights for the audience. Similarly, for the This is the End Pasties Series Ibarra attaches huge pasties to the interior gallery walls inviting the viewer to imagine the huge body they could be attached to, however, in my view, the attaching of pasties to bare gallery walls also evokes a sense that the walls themselves are wearing the pasties. Finally, in the Social Body Body piece, we can see three large bricks of concrete stacked on top of one another secured together by leather belts and a ball gag. The social Body Body piece is perhaps the most explicit of the three pieces mentioned above in its anthropomorphizing and sexualizing of inanimate objects. While on their own the three bags of concrete might simply represent construction or a job that was never completed with the addition of the leather straps and ball gag, Ibarra creates a piece with much more complex significance. In terms of questions, I would like to ask during the artist presentation, I am curious about the connections between the La Chica Boom series and Drag as a queer art form. In addition to learning more about the La Chica Boom series, I would also like to further investigate Ibarra’s motivations for using the nylon/pantyhose material in so many pieces and performances.

Clarke, Elijah - Week 5

Carmen Lomas Garza is a phenomenal artist with a unique ability to capture dynamic and lifelike scenes without strictly subscribing to naturalism or realism aesthetics. Much of Garza's work focuses on large communal gatherings such as backyard barbecues, birthday parties, and block parties, and she uses vibrant colors and an abundance of detail to imbue the scenes with a sense of life. Many of Garza's pieces are extremely effective at evoking the feeling of summer for me. Pieces, not included below, such as Cama para Sueños, Hammerhead Shark on Padre Island, and Cakewalk are all examples of pieces that when I look at them I can almost smell the warm, dry and sweet summer air. In addition to her inclination to include human subjects in communal settings in many of her works, Garza also seems to focus on food in a lot of her pieces. Although many of her pieces are arguably more focused on the people in the scene Garza consistently includes references to food and cooking in her work. One of the more obvious examples of Garza's focus on food is in the piece titled Tamalada, in this piece Garza's family is pictured in the kitchen of her childhood home making tamales. Tamalada not only illustrates a consistent theme throughout Garza's work but also illustrates an important connection between family time and cooking time for Garza. I very much enjoyed looking through all of Carmen Lomas Garza's pieces. However, upon reviewing my favorites, one stood out the most, titled Sandia. This piece, pictured below, seems to be somewhat of a diversion from Garza's artistic focus on large gatherings. The image depicts a plated watermelon being cut into slices and presumably served, the entire scene is set against a vibrant yellow backdrop and red watermelon juice covers the plate. One of the interesting things about this piece in my mind is that it sort of resembles a still life painting however through the simple addition of two anonymous hands cutting through the watermelon the piece is transformed. Still, life pieces are, unsurprisingly, often stagnant in their presentation in that there is no movement in the scene but in my opinion, In her piece Sandia Garza sort of challenges, the notion of what a still life is or at least creates her own version. 

 

 

Clarke, Elijah - Wikipedia Draft Frida Larios

 

Early Life/Career

Frida Larios, born on October 26, 1974, is a typographic artist best known for her picto-glyph pieces. Larios was born in Costa Rica, however, she was raised in El Salvador where she was enrolled in a German, Spanish, and English language school. As a young adult in El Salvador, Larios attended the applied arts school Escuela de Artes Aplicadas before earning her Bachelor of Arts at the Falmouth College of Art and Design in 1999. From 1996, throughout her undergraduate studies, and until 2010 Larios competed in beach volleyball during which time she won a Gold Medal for El Salvador in the 1998 Central American Games. In 2003 Larios was awarded a $28,000 scholarship from FANTEL/LASPAU for Masters in Arts degree completion at the University of the Arts London in the United Kingdom. From 2003-2005, while attending the University of the Arts London, Larios participated as an open lab learning assistant before transitioning to an associate lecturer role in Digital Fashion Illustration and Digital Surface Design for Textiles, and Typography & Digital Design. In 2005 Larios published her thesis project, an in-depth study of Joya de Ceren, a UNESCO World Heritage site in El Salvador where over a thousand years ago an entire pre-Colombian village was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Upon earning her M.A. from Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design, Larios spent time working with Julius Wiedemann, author, and graphic designer, on the chapter “The Heritage of the Mayas: Redesigning an Ancient Identity” in Wiedemann’s book "Logo Design, Volume 2" published by TACHEN in 2009. Between the years 2009 and 2019, Larios worked on several other published projects, however, it wasn’t until 2017 that Larios formally displayed her own exhibition at the American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC. Since presenting her solo exhibition in 2017 Larios has gone on to produce several other exhibitions and art/design products. Most notably, in both 2018 and 2019 Larios was featured as a Solo Guest artist for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington, DC, and even more recently designed the Salvadoran inauguration ceremony uniforms for the Panam Games Lima 2019 and El Salvador Olympic Committee. In more recent years Larios has dedicated a large portion of her focus and time to her project, a 100-page hand-bound book, and an ongoing workshop, titled the New Maya language. The New Maya Language book officially titled New Maya Language and Animales Interiores, translated in English, Spanish, and Maya is a creative approach to Maya and central American indigenous history through the lens of language. In her redesigning of the Maya script Larios aims to generate new interest and use cases for Maya language as well as expand the accessibility of Maya script. 

 

Art  (or Notable Works or Selected Works. Also Exhibitions, Projects, Collections)

“Larios, F. La Aldea Sepultada por un Volcán en Erupción. The Village that was Buried by an Erupting Volcano, 3rd ed.”

“Art & Textile Commission, Panam Games Lima 2019 inauguration ceremony uniform art direction and design for 80 athletes & delegates by Olympic Committee of El Salvador, Lima, Perú.”

“Larios, F., Núñez, V. Animales Interiores. Centro Cultural de España, El Salvador”

“Public Mural in honor of Vanessa Guillén in Washington DC.”

References

Larios, Frida. “Frida Larios.” Frida Larios, 10 Feb. 2012, http://www.fridalarios.com/Frida-Larios-CV-2020.pdf

 PRINT Magazine. “The New Maya Language of Frida Larios.” PRINT Magazine, 7 Oct. 2021, www.printmag.com/design-inspiration/the-new-maya-language-of-frida-larios.

Caraza, Xánath. “Smithsonian Latino Center Day of the Dead Celebration 2018.” Smithsonian Voices | Smithsonian Latino Center Smithsonian Magazine [Washington, DC], 9 Nov. 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-latino-center/2018/11/08/smithsonian-latino-center-day-dead-celebration-2018.

“El Diario de Hoy de EL SALVADOR.” Elsalvador.Com News Archive, 2 Dec. 2001, archivo.elsalvador.com/noticias/2001/12/2.

Further reading

The Heritage of the Mayas: Redesigning an Ancient Identity. Logo Design, Volume 2, 138-145

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/panamgames/2015/07/10/the-best-of-the-pan-am-games-athletes-uniforms.html

 

External links

American University. “School of Communication Faculty Profile Page: Frida Larios Garcia, Adjunct Instructor.” American University, 27 Sept. 2020, www.american.edu/soc/faculty/flarios.cfm.

https://www.telemundowashingtondc.com/noticias/local/mural-en-honor-a-la-soldado-vanessa-guillen-en-dc/2002079/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fridalarios/

Clarke, Elijah (Week 4: Rasquachismo)

 

Rasquachismo can be defined as an art form that sources everyday objects as the medium through which the art is created however as discussed by Tomás Ybarra-Frausto in his writing within Chicano and Chicana Art: A Critical Anthology it is more accurate to view rasquachismo as more than just an art form, aesthetic or style but also as a sort of attitude towards, a reflection of and way of life. Inherent to rasquachismo is a sense of resourcefulness, whether it is through reusing containers or through repurposing everyday materials into art. Rasquachismo art can also be read as a challenge to social and economic hierarchies in that it challenges the notion that beauty both natural and artistic belongs to the wealthy. My first time encountering the term Rasquachismo or more specifically Rasquache was in the first couple of pages of Yolanda M. Lopez by Karen Mary Davalos in reference to activist art. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area I was surrounded by a lot of what could be considered Rasquache art, there were art cars, murals, and mosaics made of driftwood or old glassware. Additionally, although my family is not Latinx or Chicanx my parents and especially my grandparents advocated for the importance of being creatively frugal and always generous. In my own home there are several examples of what could be viewed as Rasqache art, there is an old board game set that was turned into a piece of shelving, Boogey boards with painted bottoms that are hung up as art, and painted and cut drum heads. Below is an example of Rasquachismo in that someone has used toys and other decorations in their front yard. 

Clarke, Elijah (Abstract for Frida Larios)

 

            American University. “School of Communication Faculty Profile Page: Frida Larios Garcia,                     Adjunct Instructor.” American University, 27 Sept. 2020, www.american.edu/soc/faculty/flarios.cfm.

Abstract: The American University School of Communication Faculty Profile Page for Frida Larios provides a brief description of Larios’s life and career as well as some of her notable academic and professional accomplishments. In addition to describing Larios’s artistic and academic achievements, the profile page updates readers on which courses Larios teaches at the American University in Washington, DC as well as the languages that Larios can speak and understand. 

Caraza, Xánath. “Smithsonian Latino Center Day of the Dead Celebration 2018.” Smithsonian Voices | Smithsonian Latino Center Smithsonian Magazine [Washington, DC], 9 Nov. 2018, 

www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-latino-center/2018/11/08/smithsonian-latino-center-day-dead-celebration-2018.

Abstract:  Smithsonian Magazine is the official journal of the Smithsonian Institution located in Washington, DC. In this article, Xanath Caraza describes the 2018 Day of the Dead celebration hosted by the Smithsonian Latino Center. Though Frida-Larios is only mentioned one by name in the article, the artist and her work are featured in three of the five included photographs. 

“Mural en honor a la soldado Vanessa Guillén en DC.” Telemundo Washington DC (44), uploaded by Telemundo Washington DC, NBCUniversalMedia, 15 July 2020, www.telemundowashingtondc.com/noticias/local/mural-en-honor-a-la-soldado-vanessa-guillen-en-dc/2002079Clar.

Abstract: Telemundo is an international broadcasting station owned by the NBC Universal Media corporation. This news segment, reported on by Telemundo news anchor Alban Zamora, showcases a mural designed and painted by Frida Larios and other artists. The mural honors Vanessa Guillén a Latina soldier who was murdered in 2020 and made national news after it was released that she had been a victim of sexual assault while in the military. 

ClarkeElijah (wk3)

 Growing up in a mixed religion/interfaith household I was exposed to a wide variety of religious iconography including the Virgin of Guadalupe/the Virgin Mary. Although my childhood home contained several depictions of the Virgin of Guadalupe either on candles or framed, I did not receive any formal religious education. Over time I gathered that the Virgin of Guadalupe was an important figure in the Catholic church and broader religion and was especially important in Central and Southern American interpretations and practices of catholicism. While the cultural significance of the Virgin of Guadalupe was evident to me from a young age it wasn’t until college that I really learned anything more about the image. In a history of religions course I took during my 2nd year we studied iconography relating to the Virgin of Guadalupe as well as the rise of Roman Marian churches. While depictions of the Virgin Mary vary across time and space, depictions of the Virgin of Guadalupe are relatively consistent. Generally, the Virgin of Guadalupe is depicted as standing in front of an oval of sun rays, hands clasped in prayer and face turned ever so slightly downwards, all while standing atop a crescent moon. The Virgin Mary has always represented fertility across catholic cultures however it is of note that the imagery of the Virgin of Guadalupe is particularly evocative when it comes to fertility. Many scholars, activists, and the general public have noted that the Virgin of Guadalupe may be a representation of a vagina as well as Mary due to the generally elongated shape of the imagery. In addition to learning a bit about the Virgin of Guadalupe through the lens of a religious history class, I have also had the opportunity to learn about her through the lens of ancient art and textiles. While it may seem insignificant to many, the fact that the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe was first imprinted onto the cloak of Juan Diego an indigenous Aztec man is extremely telling. In both Aztec and Mayan cultures textiles such as the cloak of Juan Diego were considered to be extremely valuable both economically and culturally. Fascinatingly the fact that Juan Diego asserted that the Virgin of Guadalupe, a Catholic icon, became imprinted onto his textile cloak signifies a melding of Aztec and Catholic European cultures.

2021ClarkeElijah Frida Larios

1. Frida Larios 

2. Melanie Cervantes

3. Chris Soto

2021ClarkeElijah

Hi class! My name is Elijah Clarke but I usually go by Eli. I am a fourth-year World Arts & Cultures major, I'm queer, my pronouns are he/him, and after reading most of everyone's blogposts I'm super excited to take this course with all of you! Pre-pandemic I was aiming to double major in PoliSci however due to the challenges of online school and personal challenges I decided to drop my double major and just focus on completing my WAC major. During my time thus far at UCLA, I have mostly focused my art and independent research on concepts related to United States politics, disability, and queerness. Possibly more relevant to this course though, in early 2019 I completed a research project on the political history of El Salvador after traveling there twice as an independent election observer. While my research project focused mainly on Central American politics, in the end, a significant portion of my time researching was dedicated to exploring the avenues through which people resisted political oppression in El Salvador, many of which were related to the arts, specifically theatre arts. In general, I am very passionate about the political impact of art and the power of artists to generate ideas and share perspectives. Over this past summer, I worked at the UCLA Hammer Museum during which an exhibit called Made in LA 2020 was showing. The exhibit displayed local art made by Los Angeles residents and as a result, I was able to interact with several of the artists and curators for the exhibit. All in all, there are a lot of reasons I am excited to take this course and I hope to learn more about Chicanx and Latinx art and possibly learn some about Central and South American politics and culture through the art.