Week 9: Chicana Futurism

Marion C. Martinez is a self-described Indio-Hispanic who was born and raised in New Mexico; she is a modern Chicanx artist who uses technological waste to create Mixed Tech Media with circuit boards, disks, wires, and chips. Marion's work serves as a symbol of Chicanafuturism because she challenges the romanticized narrative of New Mexico and incorporates parameters of her Chicanx cultural identity with the use of technology. In other words, Chicanafuturism refers to the cultural production of different artistic mediums that embody the intersection of race, gender, science, technology, the environment, and/or the future. 

We can see an example of Chicanafuturism through one of Marion's pieces, Oratorio a la Virgencita. This piece embodies an important aspect of Chicanx and Mexican culture, which is The Virgen Mary; however, Marion's placement of the Virgencita in an oratorio symbolizes the the transgression of the traditional santo tradition in New Mexico. In addition, the Oratorio a la Virgencita is made of traditional elements such as wood; however, she fuses traditional practices with computer parts and metal to express the transformation of the "Old" and "New" world. 

To understand the emergence of Marion's artwork, we must acknowledge the relationship of Latinx and technology; Latinx have often been excluded from technological conversations due to perceived incompetency. She wanted to change this narrative, which is why her artwork is particularly important; her incorporation of technological parts with her Chicana identity serve as a symbolic protest that combats the traditional narrative that Latinx and technology cannot be combined.