Ojeda, Alejandro: Week 7

    In her chapter “Chicanx Graphics in the Digital Age,” Claudia Zapata analyzes the various forms by which Chicanx artists produce and showcase their art. By looking at platforms like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), she examines the ways in which art has changed digitally, with respect to the spaces that it embodies. For me, this piece does a great job of looking at art in today’s social spaces. Being that social media and digital art is now on the rise more than ever before, it is no wonder that more and more artists are able to showcase the work they put together.

    Aside from that, there is a lot to be said surrounding the content of this art and the messages being sent by Chicanx artists to dismantle the systems in place that work against them and their communities. A lot of the work that has been done, and continues to be done to this day, looks at today’s government and other powerful institutions that contribute to the oppression of marginalised communities in our society. For the Chicanx community, this includes the disproportionate resources and opportunities offered to individuals that result in them being seen as less than their White counterparts. 

    Although art may seem like a poor counter to these systems, it serves as a means for Chicanx artists to have conversations the way they know best: by creating. Through the digital art world, many of the sentiments of the Chicano movement of the late-20th century are very much still present. If we continue to provide these spaces for artists to create and collaborate with others, it serves as another platform for art to thrive and reach those who it can impact most. Most of the pieces we see today can resonate with many of the lived experiences of Chicanx individuals around the country, and that is what makes it art.