Blog Post # 8 : Cristina Cardenas

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Christina Cardenas was born in 1957 in Guadalajara Mexico. Her works are personal and powerful. She instills cultural pride in her work to show her culture’s history and legacy. She moved to Toussaint Arizona, she went to University of Arizona and got a masters degree in printmaking. She also portrays her struggles and milestones in Mexico.

1. Zapatista: screen print, lithograph and coal 1998 

This work was hard to decipher for me. I saw a young girl, someone flying up ahead and dropping what looked like a flag. I thought to myself, is this a political piece? So I did my research on Zapatistas and found that it is an libertarian socialist army created in Chiapas Mexico as a way to liberate Mexican folks and continue to be at war with Mexico’s government. There are many different inequalities, oppression, exploitation, and even femicides within Mexico. It is very tough knowing that there are injustices in our culture, community even if we are not a part of it. The young girl in the artwork could represent the youth that have to face the repercussions of the government’s malpractice and lack of safety. Children are beings that are cognizant of their surroundings and so witnessing war or discourse can affect them greatly and cause trauma. They are the future and if they are exposed to these things they won’t be mentally healthy enough to fight back or even have a good life. That is the price of the government's lack of care. 

2. Flaming Lips: screen print. There is a woman and her hair is blowing in the air. She has a translucent dress on. 

This piece was refreshing to see because it just looks like a relaxing composition the character is in. The title seems seductive as it can mean different things. The color palette has pastels and neutral tones. 

3. La raza cósmica: painting of controversy gathering. Related to the book, the cosmic race Spanish language book 1925 by Mexican philosopher José Vasconcelos. There has been a lot of discourse within the term “la raza cósmica” because people like me directly translated la raza to the race instead of looking for its historical implications meaning, people. 

This piece shows a man and woman standing side to side. Their faces seem neutral and the color scheme is neutral. There are tiles with drawings on the wall they’re up against. I think this piece is calming and shows the duality of our people.