Alfadir Luna, “El Señor del Maíz” (2012), Chromogenic print, from the exhibition Talking to Action: Art Pedagogy, and Activism in the Americas at Otis College of Art and Design, Ben Maltz Gallery (photo by Anayatzin Ortiz. Colección Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey)
The development of many Latin American nations has been characterized by periods of colonialism followed by independence, utopian idealism, and in many cases, oppression, corruption, and inequality. Alongside these tumultuous histories are strong traditions of resistance and activism. The exhibition Talking to Action: Art, Pedagogy, and Activism in the Americas, part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, looks at the work of artists and collectives who bridge the worlds of art, performance, activism, and organizing in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Los Angeles. These include SEFT-1, a quirky, futuristic vehicle that travels along Mexico’s system of dilapidated railways, exploring the nation and its ideas about progress along the way; Frente 3 de Fevereiro, a São Paulo-based collective that investigates the military oppression of Afro communities in Medellín, Rio de Janeiro, and Haiti; and a collaboration between artists Eduardo Molinari in Buenos Aires and Sandra de la Loza in Los Angeles based around their archival research on land use in their respective cities.
This Tuesday, USC’s Roski School of Art & Design will be hosting a discussion with exhibition curators and other scholars in the field. Panelists include consulting curator Karen Moss, lead researcher and curator Bill Kelley Jr., Jennifer Ponce de León, assistant professor of Latino/a/x Literature and Culture at the University of Pennsylvania, and Paulina Varas, an independent curator and academic at the Universidad Andrés Bello outside Santiago, Chile. Although the free talk is taking place at USC, the exhibition is at the Ben Maltz Gallery, Otis College of Art & Design.
When: Tuesday, September 19, 6–8pm
Where: Wong Conference Center, Harris Hall (USC University Park Campus, 825 Bloom Walk, University Park, Los Angeles)
More info here.
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