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. 

Week 8: Border Arte

 Gloria Anzaldua begins Border Arte: Nepantla, el Lugar de la Frontera recalling her sentiments towards the exhibition of Aztec: The World of Moctezuma at the Denver Museum of Natural History. The exhibition showcases Chicanx border artists to challenge the idea that the U.S. and Mexico are cultures independent of one another by including artists who represent a mixture of both cultures in their artwork. Although this exhibition is supposed to serve as a bridge between the U.S. and Mexico, Gloria is angered due to the ignorance and insensitivity she hears throughout her experience through the exhibition; she is particularly upset about the insinuation that the Aztecs are a thing of the past when their people and culture still exist today. However, Gloria also reflected on herself and her part in passively consuming and appropriating Indigenous culture simply because she is being taught her own culture in this exhibition by whites; the irony of this act further shows us how far colonization has seeped within our current society. 

One of the artworks that Gloria encounters at the exhibition is Nepantla by Santa Barraza, which is an oil on canvas. Gloria met Barraza in the mid-1970's, which is the first time she witnessed Barraza's Virgen de Guadalupe iconography, like the one we see in Nepantla. Barraza's work at the time of this exhibition showed the reclamation of her cultural and spiritual identity as a mestiza. In addition, Napantla, like many of her other work, explores Indigenous Mexican symbols a form of resistance to the oppression and assimilation which Indigenous Mexicans' experience. 

Week 5: La Virgen de Guadalupe

 

La Virgen de Guadalupe

La Virgen de Guadalupe has been a special symbol for many of my family members on both sides of the border. However, I did not grow up in a household that was predominantly Catholic, so I do not have the same sentiments towards La Virgen de Guadalupe. 

My Mom grew up Catholic, while my Dad grew up Christian; and due to different religious views, they agreed not to impose their religious views on me and my sister. Their logic lied on the idea that we would make a decision on religion on our own once we felt educated enough on the matter to make our stance. This meant me and my sister grew up attending and learning about both churches; however, I was more exposed to Catholicism because I was much closer to my Catholic practicing family. Because of this I took part in many Catholic prayers, Catholic events, and picked up on various Catholic customs. 

However, this also meant that I witnessed the toxic behavior that was guised as acceptable because of the Catholic church. The older I grew and the more I witnessed such behavior, the farther I grew from the Catholic Church and essentially the Virgin Mary. Much of my connection with the Catholic church and Virgin Mary is connected with skewed ideas of what it means to be a woman. And although I do not completely reject the Virgin Mary, I am still looking for ways to reconstruct her image in a way that coincides with my values, in efforts to retain this part of my culture.

Week 4: ¡Printing the Revolution! Exhibition Preview

 The Smithsonian American Art Museum talks about a preview of their exhibition !Printing the Revolution! organized by its curators E. Carmen Ramos and Claudia Zapata. This exhibition features many Chicanx/Latinx artists, like Rupert Garcia, Elizabeth Sisco, David Avalos, Juan Fuentes, and Linda Lucero, among others. This exhibition in the Smithsonian American Art Museum explores how early civil rights set a foundation for the graphic arts movement within the Latinx community; art which continues to thrive to this day.

Esther Hernandez is an artist who is also a part of the exhibition; she is largely known for her pivotal role in Chicana feminism. She specifically focuses on femininity in the queer community and does so because she felt that she was born in the movement. Esther was born and raised in a women-centered farmworker household, so she was surrounded by women and families who were involved with labor strikes as early as the 1930's. At an early age Esther was exposed to the United Farm Worker Union Movement because her father was one of the first in the neighborhood to take part. Therefore, she was always encouraged to be proud of who she was and to stand up for herself and her community. Her art is largely inspired and given meaning by her mom, family, and mujeres in her life, specifically because of their hard work and dedication to the community. Because of this, much of her art is driven by social justice and consciousness for the sake of progressing the pueblo! 

Week 2: Claudia E. Zapata Reading

How have blogs and weblogs benefitted and/or limited digital art for Chicanx/Latinx artists? 

  The 1980's brought a digital revolution that has both benefitted and limited the Chicanx/Latinx art space. As the digital revolution unraveled, existing artists learned to adapt to the upcoming mediums of art and new artists emerged because of the increased accessibility brought by digitized art. The digitization of art also amplified the exposure of Chicanx/Latinx artists through different social media applications, one being in the form of blogs/weblogs. 

Julio Salgado is an artivist who has used blogs and weblogs to increase visibility for previously unseen immigrants in the name of activism. Salgado has used blogs to rethink the immigrant movement, specifically with those that identify as undocumented and queer; he is a prime example of the benefits an artist obtains in a digital era. For example, in 2012 Salgado sought out others who identify as undocuqueer to be a part of an artistic project and he quickly found participants through Tumblr. His blog not only made getting participants more plausible, but he gave the undocuqueer community immense exposure. 

Since Julio Salgado is an undocumented artist in the U.S., he was hesitant in entering the art space as a street artist due to fear of incarceration and deportation. However, social media through the form of apps and blogs, gave Salgado an alternative gallery space. Just like Salgado, the entire undocuqueer community has greatly benefitted from these digital platforms because of the mobility, intimacy, and option for anonymity. Undocuqueer artists now have the ability to reach a nationwide audience without fearing incarceration and/or deportation. 

Although there are benefits to digital platforms for Chicanx/Latinx artists, there are also ways in which these platforms attempt to limit these artists. These artists do not always get a fair share of exposure due to the algorithmic oppression found in some of these platforms. Which leads me to this question: How can the Chicanx/Latinx community support artists in combatting algorithmic oppression?

Week 3: Ana María Arévalo Gosen

"I am a fighter for women’s rights and chose slow visual storytelling as my weapon."

- Ana María Arévalo Gosen 

Who is she? 

Ana María Arévalo Gosen is a photographer, singer, and artist from Caracas, Venezuela. She considers herself a visual storyteller and began her journey as such in Germany in the year of 2014. 

 Vision & Mission: 

Ana views photography as a powerful tool for raw storytelling to raise awareness for the sake of improving humanity. Her goal is to produce social change through honest photographs by mixing research with intimate stories and empathetic relationships.

The project that particularly caught my attention from Ana María Arévalo Gosen is a series of photographs called Dias Eternos. Dias Eternos is her first long-term project and it focused on photographing conditions of women in detention centers and prisons in Venezuela. Ana focused on the prison system in Venezuela as a reflection of the gendered violence and crime in the country, particularly looking at the treatment of poor Venezuelan women. She wanted to show how these facilities are unsanitary, overcrowded, and prone to infectious diseases; the women are also malnourished, often receiving no food, water, or medical attention.

Some of the women in these prisons are victims of abuse in their family and/or are coerced to commit a crime by men. And despite that these women are awaiting trial, they are often not separated from convicted criminals and/or men. In addition to this, many are detained for "Law against hate," meaning that they are imprisoned for protesting against their government. For these reasons, Ana's work is imperative as it raises awareness to help women fight for Human Rights in penitentiary institutions in Venezuela.

Resources

National Geographic

Pulitzer Center

Yahoo News

Women Photograph

Fotos Feminas

Photoville Festival

Lens Culture

Ana's Personal Website

New York Times

Instagram Profile

Bravo, Adriana

 Hello everyone!

My name is Adriana Bravo (she/her/hers) and I’m currently in my last year at UCLA, majoring in Chicana/o Studies with a minor in Education and Statistics. I am from Colton, a small suburban city in Southern California. Being a first-generation and Mexican/Guatemalan American student at UCLA has been no walk in the park, but I'm extremely grateful for the sense of belonging and community that the Chicana/o Department has offered me.

My time at UCLA has sparked a lot of interests as I've navigated my identity. However, what has touched me the most is the power of learning and connecting to oneself and others through solo travel. 

In addition to this, I'm extremely interested in digital media; I'm particularly attracted to the use of social media as a medium for digital storytelling and activism. 

In my last Chicana/o class, we had a guest speaker focus on this specific subject in collaboration with their artwork and I was left with wanting to know more about influential artists to compare the evolution of Chicanx/Latinx art. Therefore, I anticipate a great quarter in this class learning about the history and impact of Chicanx/Latinx Artists through different mediums of art.

Introducing the class with the reading, ¡Printing the Revolution! The Rise and Impact of Chicano Graphics, 1965 to Now by E. Carmen Ramos was a fitting way to get a sense of the impact of Chicanx Art on social movements as well as an individual's self-consciousness. The image that resonated with me is Libertad de Expression Mexico 68 by Adolfo Mexiac. It was created in 1954 and portrays a man gagged by a chain labeled "Made in the USA"; Mexiac created this as a representation of Indigenous silence during the US backed military coup in Guatemala. I loved the power of this photo, but most importantly the sense of timelessness it projects. For example, this same image was used in Mexico in 1968 after student protesters were repressed by the Mexican government for their use of speech. 

Although these instances occurred several years ago, there are still governmental attempts to silence oppressed groups worldwide; and all these continuous social movements open opportunities to recycle previous art in attempts to create/maintain timeless unification.