"Latin Female Artist Draws Criticism for Times Square Mural"

Check out Keysha Whitaker's  post about the controversy surrounding Sofia Moldanado's Times Square Mural over at Single Women Rule. Whitaker astutely asks,

"Is it possible that we suffer a secret shame induced by our short-skirt, fake-nail, breasts coming out with the belly fat hanging over, Doobie-rocking gals? By the hood chicks? The ghetto-style supergirls, proud to be themselves and will punch you in the eye if you suggest otherwise? I would say yes. And when that shame is magnified, by say 92 feet, our first reaction is to cry, “Take it down! I can’t stand to see.” Or maybe, “Take it down so the good white folks don’t see our shame.”

Check out the rest of Whitaker's awesome post here

*Mural by Sofia Maldonado . Photos by Alex Mateo, www.mateophoto.com

Sofia Maldonado's Times Square Mural Under Fire

Raquel Rivera sent me this video about the current controversy surrounding Sofia Maldonado's new mural on 42nd Street.  The Times Square Alliance is now dealing with calls to take the mural down because it "degrades" women of color by depicting them as "ghetto."  

The most striking thing to me about the video and article was the conflation of working-class/poor women of color with "prostitutes."  That people were able to argue that these women with their "long finger nails" were sex workers of Times Square's heyday was really complicated and problematic.  It speaks volumes about the degree to which Times Square is not a space for "certain types" of  New Yorkers, but rather a sanitized Disney version of New York City.  In that respect I appreciate Maldonado's claim that her mural makes visitors confront an image of NYC that they much rather ignore.  Maldonado said this about the mural:

“The mural illustrates strong New York City women as a tribute to the Caribbean experience in America. Inspired by my heritage, it illustrates a female aesthetic that is not usually represented in media or fashion advertising in Times Square. It recognizes the beauty of underground cultures such as reggaeton, hip-hop and dancehall and incorporates trends such as nail art and Latina fashion. Green organic forms represent the imaginary land that third generation immigrants create in their minds about their countries of origin. I represent the characters and happenings that tourists usually do not see in Times Square, even though it could be a frequent scene in the other boroughs of New York City. These women are strong single mothers or wives who enjoy life and have overcome tough experiences living in and immigrating from a third world country.”

Me personally, I rather look at this than a mural of a bunch of Latinas in business suits holding cell phones and briefcases.  

*image from Times Square Arts

Tortilleras Unidas! The Radical Feminist Queer Sex Positive Potential of Reggaeton

"Dembow dembow sometimes I use a dildo, oh no, oh no, I even got one that glows."

Celiany Rivera Valazquez introduced me to this amazing video by La Perfomera (Awilda Rodriguez). I love this video and it really nails all the radical feminist queer sex positive potential I see in reggaeton music and culture. Because so much of the discourse about reggaeton focuses on how it oppresses women, we often miss how women are engaging with and transforming the genre into a vehicle to address the complexities of sexuality and desire. The emphasis on reggaeton's hetero-masculinity also obscures how reggaeton, perreo, and la pista, provide spaces for homosocial and homoerotic bonding among women (women dancing perreo with other women is a common sight and practice, although it often gets dismissed as for the benefit of males, which is too simplistic an analysis of whats going on). This video gestures towards the pleasures of reggaeton for women and has fun with it.

Anyway, more thoughts to come, but in the meantime enjoy this fantastic video by La Performera.

If the Bush Administration Ran a Gift Shop

Abu Ghraib coffee table, by Phillip Toledano.

Over the course of eight long years George Bush's presidency has provided us with searing images of human brutality and suffering that will haunt the American conscience for generations. Artist and photographer Phillip Toledano created a series of installation artworks for the exhibition America the Gift Shop, that takes those images and crystallizes them like souvenirs of the Bush Administration. Toledano notes that, "We buy souvenirs at the end of a trip, to remind ourselves of the experience. What do we have to remind us of the events of the last eight years?

According to Toledano 's site he created the "products" to reflect “the current foreign policy in the fun-house mirror of American commerce.” As Toledano told Vanity Fair, he hopes that “as we draw near to the election, this work may remind people of what the current administration has done, and choose not to elect someone (McCain) who would happily give us more of the same.”

Thankfully, none of the "products" are actually for sale, so no one will profit from these scenes of American imperialism and barbarism. View more of the "products" at America the Gift Shop .

What do you all think? Thought provoking or too far?

*Tip of the fitted to Vulture

Alegría bomba e' at Centro Gallery

Alegría bomba e'
An exhibition by Carmen Ayala

On view Monday, August 4 to Friday, October 17, 2008

Reception on Thursday, September 4, 2008 6 - 8pm
Gallery Hours:
Monday, Tuesday & Thursday, 9 am - 6 pm
Wednesday, 9 am - 8 pm
Friday & Saturday, 12 pm - 5 pm

For more information check out the Centro Gallery website

CALL FOR PUERTO RICAN ARTISTS - COMITE NOVIEMBRE

2008 POSTER DESIGN

PURPOSE
Each year, Comité Noviembre commissions a Puerto Rican artist to design the annual poster to promote and inform the public about Puerto Rican Heritage Month and to create an artistic expression of the annual theme. The poster is distributed throughout New York, New Jersey and the tri-state area and it is the cover of the annual Journal Calendar of Events. The CN poster is in high demand by teachers and educators and the community and become collector’s items because of it limited edition status.

THEME
The annual theme is developed with the understanding that beyond celebrating our heritage, it must help to motivate, mobilize and empower our community around critical concerns. This year’s theme: Live your Culture?!Vive Boricua!, challenges us to take ownership of our culture and heritage. Being Puerto Rican is not just on special days, or months, but every day of our lives. Everyday as a community, we contribute to the fabric of this city, state and nation. The theme addresses the importance of our achievements as a community and the impact it has had and will continue to have on society. The theme seeks to challenge us to learn about our pioneers, feel proud of who we are and where we come from and commit ourselves to promote and teach others about our culture, traditions, heroes and the great contributions Puerto Ricans have made to this country.

ELIGIBILITY
• Artist must be Puerto Rican or of Puerto Rican descent.
• Artist must be able to work with members of CN towards the creation of the final piece.
• Artist must be able to work under tight deadlines.
• Artist must be present at unveiling of Poster at CN kick-off event in late October
• Artist must write a description of the poster connecting his visual concept to CN’s theme

GUIDELINES
• Artist must submit the following information:
• A complete full color, 24? x 36? concept portraying artistic expression of the theme for the poster.
• Bio/Resume
• Address, phone, cell and e-mail address
• Examples of previous work. Please do not send framed work. Work will NOT be mailed back, but you can arrange for pick up.
• Emailing/Electronic submission of work is preferred.
• All information must be submitted at the same time by: Wednesday, September 10, 2008
• Finalist will be notified by Friday, September 12, 2008.
• Finalist will be interviewed on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 between the hours of 6-8 pm., at El Museo del Barrio in Manhattan.

COMPENSATION
• $1,000 stipend for work selected by Comité Noviembre
• The artwork and biography of artist will be printed in the annual Calendar of Events, and other venues such as El diario la prensa and Daily News, if available.
• Poster design will be distributed to schools and organizations for Puerto Rican Heritage Month in November.

PLEASE SEND COMPLETE PACKAGE TO:
LILI SANTIAGO-SILVA, COMITÉ NOVIEMBRE C/O: EL MUSEO DEL BARRIO
1230 5TH AVENUE (AT 104TH STREET) NEW YORK, NY 10029, (212) 660-7132, LSSILVA@ELMUSEO.ORG

Summer Mixtape Volume 1 - Opening @ Exit Art

This summer I've been interning at Exit Art an alternative arts space in New York City's Hell's Kitchen. This Thursday is the opening for the gallery's new show Summer Mixtape Volume 1: the Get Smart edition from 7-10pm.

Here's a description of the show:
Long after the cassette tape has become an obsolete relic of a clumsier analog era, the essence of the mixtape lives on through CDs and MP3 playlists. Summer Mixtape Volume 1: the Get Smart edition pays tribute to this vital form of popular expression with a group exhibition that compiles some of the hottest work from the New York area that the curators have seen all year.

The curators looked back through previous calls for submissions, canvassed other curators and artists for recommendations, visited dozens of artists’ studios, and saw hundreds of shows to wind up with the 27 artists that make up Summer Mixtape Volume 1. The works in the exhibition cover a vast array of themes and mediums, mirroring the diverse mix of sights, sounds and cultures on the streets of New York. The show also features a jukebox programmed specifically for the exhibition that includes mixtapes and cover art produced by the artists and some special guests.

The opening will feature premium lagers and treats from http://www.sweettoothofthetiger.com/

I hope to see you there!

Summer Mixtape Volume 1: the Get Smart edition--Opening
Thursday, July 24, 2008
7:00pm - 10:00pm
475 Tenth Avenue (@ 36th Street)
New York, NY

Crocodile Tears opening @ The Giant Robot Gallery (GRNY)

Crocodile Tears: Small Works of Art by Over 50 Artists
July 19 - August 13, 2008
Reception: Saturday, July 19, 6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

I really love absurdly tiny and insanely gigantic art works... I am extremely excited to see this exhibit.

Giant Robot Gallery
437 East 9th Street
Between 1st Ave. & Ave. A, in the East Village
New York, New York 10009
(212) 674-GRNY (4769)

Crocodile Tears will feature a large assortment small works that measure 5" x 7" or smaller. Each of the over 50 artists will be contributing two to five pieces in his or her own eclectic style. Mediums will range from painting to stitching to drawing to sculpture.

Kehinde Wiley @ The Studio Museum in Harlem Opened Today

The World Stage: Africa, Lagos ~ Dakar is Kehinde Wiley’s (b. 1977) first solo exhibition at The Studio Museum in Harlem and features ten new paintings from his multinational “The World Stage” series.

His images of urban young black men play with and transform classic portraiture aesthetics creating a highly stylized and interesting commentary on hip-hop culture and black masculinity.

Studio Museum in Harlem
144 W 125th St (between Adam Clayton Powell Jr and Malcolm X Blvds)
212-864-4500
Subway: A, C, B, D, 2, 3 to 125thSt
http://www.studiomuseum.org

History Keeps Me Awake at Night: A Genealogy of Wojnarowicz

Tomorrow night I'll be hitting up the small Chelsea gallery P.P.O.W for the a film screening and reading event that is part of the "History Keeps Me Awake at Night: A Genealogy of Wojnarowicz" show.

The gallery will be showing four of David Wojnarowicz films: Fear of Disclosure, Fire in My Belly, Heroin, and Manhattan Love Suicides. There will also be readings by authors who credit Wojnarwicz and his work as influences. The readers are Zachary German, Amy King, Sara Marcus, and Max Steele.

This event, and ultimately this exhibition, should shed light on not just how prolific of an artist Wojnarowicz was, but also the incredible influence he and his work has had on a number of young queer artists.

Readings and films at the David Wojnarowicz exhibit

P.P.O.W.

555 W 25th St (between Tenth and Eleventh Aves)
Chelsea
212-647-1044
Subway: C, E to 23rd St; 1 to 23rd, 28th Sts

For more information:
http://www.ppowgallery.com/exhibitions/2008_DW_Group/film_pr.html
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/lgbt/37341/body-of-influence