La Movida / The Hustle
The series explores how material culture (physical objects, such as clothing and domestic objects) reflects a society’s values, in this case a subculture. The exhibition’s title has many layered meanings, La Movida is the hustle, where one works hard to gain an advantage from a situation almost always for monetary benefit... Quien no transa, no avanza… It is also a colloquial word to mean countercultural movement or nightlife scene.
The artistic intent was NOT to create traditional objects; instead to explore creating objects that incorporate Latin American and Latinx iconography into aesthetics. Historically the idea of ownership did not exist in Latin America prior to Spanish and European colonization. Rather, an emphasis was placed on a family’s ability to produce their own necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. People in the Americas began constructing the hierarchy of social class identities in association with imported commodities to achieve social mobility by displaying European items (fine cloth/clothes, furniture or art) in their homes or on their body. Now the evolution of material culture has transitioned even further due to the contemporary global economy.
La Movida/ The Hustle, Mixed media
The Beautiful Game, Mixed media
Self-portrait, sculpture
Chimuela y Adelitas
Las Adelitas (Detail), Mixed Media
Las Adelitas (Detail), Leather Tooling
Venta del Burro/Donkey Sale, Print on fabric
Poliana, Mixed Media