LatinXAmerican

Lubeznik Center for the Arts' (LCA) upcoming spring exhibition, LatinXAmerican, will be on display from March 4 through June 11, 2022.

LatinXAmerican includes photographs, paintings, sculptures, textiles, videos and installations from more than 25 Latinx artists. The exhibition explores the shifting and, at times, contradictory social, cultural, political and artistic identities between Latinx artists of different circumstances and generations. 

The term "Latinx" is used here as a nonbinary, gender-inclusive alternative to Latino or Latina for people of Latin American heritage living primarily in the U.S. It's important to note not every artist in the exhibition identifies as a Latinx artist. Some prefer national, racial and/or ethnic designations of identity. Further exploration of the artists’ diverse backgrounds is encouraged.

LatinXAmerican is on loan from the DePaul Art Museum (DPAM) in Chicago. This exhibition reflects an initiative to increase the visibility of Latinx artists and voices in museums, working toward equity and lasting transformation. Latinx communities account for over 18% of the US population. A 2018 study of 18 major U.S. art museums found only 2.8% of artists in their collections are Latinx people.

Participating artists include Alberto Aguilar, Tanya Aguiñiga, Candida Alvarez, Alfredo Antonio Martinez, Enrique Chagoya, Karen Dana Cohen, Nicolás de Jesús, Claudio Dicochea, Salvador Dominguez, Ester Hernandez, Benito Huerta, Alejandro Jimenez-Flores, Salvador Jimenez-Flores, Rodrigo Lara, Melissa Leandro, José Lerma, Nicole Marroquin, Marisa Moran Jahn, Vik Muniz, Errol Ortiz, Gala Porras-Kim, Edra Soto, Vincent Valdez, Derek Webster and Mario Ybarra Jr.

José Lerma uses common construction materials, prefabricated doors and household paint, to create excerpts of the few paintings by artists of Latin American descent on view in the American galleries at the Art Institute of Chicago, like in his painting, La Madrileñita (above). He asks us to contemplate who is considered an American artist within the American collection, while considering the often invisible economic and artistic contributions of immigrants in this country.

Known for his work with unconventional materials such as food, Vik Muniz uses torn bits of paper from magazines and tabloids, refashioning them to mimic iconic images from art history, very much like José Lerma. The Lemon, after Manet (right) recreates Edouard Manet’s, Le citron (The Lemon). Muniz says, “When people look at my images, I don’t want them to see the things that are represented. I prefer that they see how one thing can represent another.” Muniz’s work stands in complex relation to the so-called original, radicalizing the still life tradition by not only depicting everyday objects, but also using these objects as the material itself.

The words painted in Son So & So by Candida Alvarez (left) refer to the artist’s son. On the other hand, “son” also refers to “son cubano” a style of music and dance originating in Cuba, which Alvarez listened to growing up in Puerto Rico.

Located In: The Hyndman Gallery, Brincka/Cross Gallery, Susan Block Gallery