Extra Credit, Yolanda López: Portrait of the Artist

The exhibition at MCASD of Yolanda Lopez titled, “Yolanda López: Portrait of the Artist,” reifies the idea of Yolanda as a pioneer in reimagining what it means to be a Chicana. Through her portrayal of herself as a running body, she paints an image of strength and independence with a grin of provocation in her awareness that she is free. Yolanda’s work depicts the woman in a different light, is one that is not traditionally “feminine,” but rather one who is strong, free, and running with the speed of her own will, without the cloak weighing her down. In the image the woman holds her own, and is not tokenized or iconized, she is not frozen in time or place because she is woman but rather runs free by her strength. Further, Yolanda’s work highlights the mundaneness of normal women, and that women do not exist merely for the high polished eye candy at men’s right arms. Women exist for their own and are not constrained nor by beauty standards, body ideals, or moral stances. Thus I think her work being featured in the Feminist Art Coalition section of the exhibit is very fitting. While Yolanda’s work may speak to the Chicana woman, it also speaks to women in general who are constrained by gender norms and cisheteropatriachial norms. I found it interesting after looking over the Museum’s website that Yolanda’s work is still heavily underrecognized despite being such a prolific figure to the Chicanx art movement and Feminist art as well. However, I was pleased to see her work and was excited to see it in person after having studied her during our time with this course. It is even more monumental in person, feeling the strength and joy in her work, than it was from learning about her the first time in the book, which in itself was very mind-boggling.