Week 8 Presentations: Xandra Ibarra

The artist that most caught my attention from the presentations during week eight was Xandra Ibarra, also known as La Chica Boom. Ibarra is a performance artist who pushing her viewers out of their comfort zone. The introduction to the presentation in class was a compilation of clips from Ibarra's short film. As a young college student, I welcome different arts because I love to experience and interpret new things in my own way. Upon seeing the short scene with the tapatio, I went through a range of emotions; I went from feeling shocked to laughing to seriously contemplating the message Ibarra was attempting to convey. I think it was interesting that my classmate took the time to leave us with a question after her presentation, that is, were we (college students) uncomfortable watching Ibarra's performance art, or for the most part open and interested? I take for granted my own ability to view art without judgement or discomfort, and assume that most students are similar to myself. I never realized that some students may not like Ibarra's work as it is provocative.
In regard to Xandra Ibarra's artwork, I was most interested in her performance at the Broad,"Nude Laughing". Initially, without any description or reference of the performance, I was attracted to the expression of Ibarra's face in the image provided in the class presentation. Her laugh seemed genuine but also painful, creating a mixed range of emotions. After hearing about what the performance entailed, I gained more interest, as I learned that this performance was a sort of reaction to John Currin's painting, Laughing Nude. It was interesting to understand the intentions of Ibarra's performance, as she tries to portray the inability of women to fit into the archetype John Currin created. Overall, Xandra Ibarra's work is very intriguing and I definitely hope to see her performance art in the future.