Latin American and Latinx Art for the 21^st Century

OCTOBER 1 – NOVEMBER 27, 2021

Vida, Muerte, Justicia / Life, Death, Justice is an exhibition of twenty-four Latin American and Latinx contemporary artists whose work responds to relevant themes in relation to social and racial justice. The exhibited artists offer local, national and international perspectives through multiple disciplines including painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, digital art and more. Vida, Muerte, Justicia / Life, Death, Justice is presented in partnership with Weber State University’s Shaw Gallery, and is curated by Jorge Rojas and María del Mar González-González.

“Paired subsets of life and death, death and justice, and life and justice conceptually thread together works that explore the confrontation of death, the systemic lack of justice, and the struggle for equity among Latin American and Latinx people in the 21^st century,” state curators Rojas and González-González. “This exhibition intends to amplify important voices, raise awareness, build community, and inspire action while providing space for reflection, mourning, and collective healing.”

This significant roster of artists includes multiple international and museum-level exhibiting artists such as Harry Gamboa Jr., Guillermo Galindo, Tania Candiani and others. Prominent Utah artists include Andrew Alba, Nancy Rivera, Horacio Rodriguez, and Roots Art Kollective, who will paint an original mural for the exhibition. Artwork in the show responds to a number of current issues and movements including immigration reform, racial justice, femicide, Black Lives Matter and much more. Exhibited artists identify nationally as Mexican, Colombian, Chilean, Nicaraguan and Dominican, among others. Important conversations surrounding ethnic and gender identity within this community are also addressed, as artists in the show also self-identify as Chicano, Nuyorican, or Latinx.

Guillermo Galindo and Tania Candiani’s work will be exhibited in the Shaw Gallery Project Space in the Kimball Visual Arts Building at Weber State University. The Shaw Gallery will host additional programming such as curatorial talks and performances with the visiting artists, providing opportunities for students and community members to engage on the important topics brought forth through this exhibition.

Latin American and Latino/Hispanic peoples make up the largest ethnic or racial minority in our country, as well as our local community, making this an especially significant exhibition for Utah and the art world at large. These artists have played a significant role in calling out social injustice on local, national and international levels, creating relevant work that inspires action and change. The curators state: “As we look back on one of the most difficult years in recent history due to COVID-19 and global political and social uprising, this exhibition invites audiences to reflect on many of the issues that have taken center stage, as well as the movements that have united us to work toward justice.”

ABOUT THE CURATORS:

Born in Morelos, Mexico, Jorge Rojas is a multidisciplinary artist, independent curator, and educator. He studied Art at the University of Utah and at Bellas Artes in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Rojas uses performance, visual art, and social engagement to examine cultural, social, and mediated forms of communication. His work and curatorial projects have been exhibited in museums and galleries nationally and internationally, including Museo del Barrio and Queens Museum of Art in New York; New World Museum and Project Row Houses in Houston; Utah Museum of Fine Arts and Utah Museum of Contemporary Art in Salt Lake City; Ex Convento del Carmen, Guadalajara; and FOFA Gallery at Concordia University, Montreal. In 2009, Rojas founded Low Lives, an international, multi-venue online performance festival, where he served as director, producer, and curator, worked with over 200 artists in 25 countries, and collaborated with directors and curators from more than 30 partner organizations in 12 countries.

María del Mar González-González, PhD is an assistant professor of global modern and contemporary art history at Weber State University. Specializing in the fields of Latin American, Caribbean and U.S. Latinx art, with a research focus on the intersection of art and politics, her work investigates the interrelations among exhibitions, printmaking, and representation in the San Juan Graphic Arts Biennial and Triennial. Dr. González-González’s scholarly work and teaching interests extend to socially engaged practices, decolonization, the history of collecting and museums, and reprographic arts. Her academic writing has been published in Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies, Caiana: Journal of Art History and Visual Culture of the Centro Argentino de Investigadores de Arte, and numerous art exhibition catalogs.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS

Andrew Alba

Blanka Amezkua

Tania Candiani

Ruby Chacon

Esperanza Cortes

Amelec Diaz

Alexis Duque

Patricia Espinosa

David Rios Ferreira

Guillermo Galindo

Scherezade Garcia

Las Hermanas Iglesias

Harry Gamboa Jr.

Roots Art Kollective

Tamara Kostianovsky

Jessica Lagunas

Shaun Leonardo

Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz

Michael Pribich

Lina Puerta

Nancy Rivera

Horacio Rodriguez

Jaime Trinidad

Carlos Villalon

CREDITS

This exhibition is made possible by: Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation, Weber County RAMP, Utah Office of Tourism, and Ogden City Arts.

EXHIBITION EVENTS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS

Exhibition VIP Preview for OCA Members (Invite Only)
Date: October 1st, 4-6 PM
Location: OCA Center, 455 25th Street, Ogden

Exhibition Public Opening
Date: October 1st, 6-9 PM
Location: OCA Center and WSU Shaw Gallery Project Space, Kimball Visual Arts Building

Art Talk: Latin American and/or Latinx: Differences and Affinitie, a talk by Dr. Mari Carmen Ramirez in conversation with Dr. María del Mar González-González
Date: October 6, 5:30 pm
Location: Zoom webinar

Performance: Guillermo Galindo
Date: October 28th, 6 PM
Location: WSU Allred Theater, Browning Center for Performing Arts

Artist Talk: Tania Candiani
Date: November 11th, 6 PM
Location: WSU Kimball Visual Arts Center, Lindquist Lecture Hall, room 120

Curator Talk: Vida, Muerte, Justicia: Making an Exhibition
Date: November 18th, 6 PM
Location: WSU Kimball Visual Arts Center, Lindquist Lecture Hall, room 120