Rise and impact of graphic works, from 1965 to today
This Frist exhibit hits me right in the heart. Although I am not Chicana, as a Mexican and immigrant I can relate to part of the struggle that this exhibit proposes. What began as a derogatory term, being Chicano, is today a name that gives identity to a large community that in some way claims its own place without trying to belong to either Mexico or the United States, using its roots and experiences to fight for equality, civil rights, to give voice to marginalized communities and to speak about national politics.
How many of us run away from those political discussions that separate colleagues, friends and even families? I consider myself one of them, at least until I find myself in a safe environment open to dialogue. Well, this exhibition is the opposite: it is subversive and direct.
I don't think anyone can remain indifferent when seeing these paintings, which are a showcase of a reality that has historically been silenced. For example, the rights of farm workers, for whom the use of pesticides is a death sentence, migration by death train (La Bestia) or by river, police brutality, modern slavery, among many others, with the eternal question of who are the immigrants really?
The Chicano movement is strongly linked to Mexican roots. The Day of the Dead, corn, skulls, indigenous roots, and the image of Zapata are strong references in this exhibition. The struggle for acceptance comes in many forms, each one personal, each one painful.
I hope this exhibit helps spark deep and necessary conversations in our community and drives a shift in rhetoric.
This exhibition will be in our city until September 29, 2024 and all the information about the works is in English and Spanish. Visit it and tell us what you liked most about it.
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