Pocha Peña and Victor Payan presentation a the Art of The State Symposium was informational. I immediately could see their playfulness and humor. I've heard the term Poncha/o before and figure is was another term for Chicana/o. After looking it up I see how second or third generation Mexican Americans would identify with this term. Wikipedia it states, "[the type of] Spanish spoken by a Pocho...is Spanglish." They also identify as social misfits and mutants. This makes me think they have one foot in Mexican culture, one foot in the states and their head in their own world.Their art practice continues the tradition of being political and community oriented. Their humor and style add another layer to Chicanx/Latinx identity and pantheon of artist.
My favorite part was Pocha Peña talking about her grandparents in the Andes and the trade/barter system they took part of instead of the dollar economy and how that inspired her to become a mutant and not allow the outside world to cloud her vision. Most inspirational was Peña saying how a system only recognizes another system. It does not recognize the individual. We can only engage with it together as a people. Peña also mentions seeking out our elders and generational wisdom so we do not keep repeating the past. I believe as a community we are stronger and help each other navigate challenges, especially when we engage with our elders.
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