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      Frosted Works by Yvette Mayorga Divulge Issues That Are Anything but Saccharine

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      Installation view of ‘La Jaula de Oro’ at Museo de Arte de Zapopan. Photo by Lazarillo. All images courtesy of the artist and Museo de Arte de Zapopan, shared with permission

      Frosted Works by Yvette Mayorga Divulge Issues That Are Anything but Saccharine

      October 1, 2024

      Art Social Issues

      Kate Mothes

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      In a pink, glowing Rococo setting, Yvette Mayorga’s first solo exhibition in Mexico dives into nostalgia, teenage dreams, and how sometimes a sugary coating can conceal crucial truths.

      For La Jaula de Oro—The Golden Cage—at Museo de Arte de Zapopan, the Chicago-based artist (previously) has created four acrylic-piped paintings on canvas and a series of mixed-media sculptures. These include a 1974 Datsun coated in crochet, plush and plastic toys, acrylic nails, faux fur, rosaries, and other ephemera. Pop singer Selena’s song “Dreaming of You” wafts from the car stereo.

      “Bien chiqueada” (2024), acrylic nails, nail charms, toy snake, toy scorpion, clock, scorpion belt, collage, and acrylic piping on canvas, 91.44 x 121.92 centimeters

      At first glance, Mayorga’s compositions appear like delicate, frosted confections, glittering with nail charms and predominantly made in various shades of pink. But upon closer inspection, reminders of a slightly more unsettling reality begin to emerge, such as scorpions, clocks, or mirrors—nods to our relationship with time, others, and our mortality.

      The artist draws on the tradition of vanitas painting, a style popularized during the Dutch Golden Age, often in the form of still lifes brimming with visual cues that power and glory mean nothing when confronted with the inevitability of death.

      For Mayorga, the supple forms of piped bows, rosettes, and borders belie important messages centered around border control, immigrant labor, rampant capitalism, and pop culture.

      Akin to the way cookies or cakes are created to be literally consumed, the artist toys with the notion of fleetingness. “La princesa (Ride or Die),” for example, captures a sense of ephemerality and impermanence: “here today and gone tomorrow,” says curator Maya Renée Escárcega.

      Detail of “Bien chiqueada”

      The artist invites viewers into a seemingly carefree, saccharine space evocative of the opulence of the late 18th century—the era of Marie Antoinette and her famous—if mythical—quote: “Let them eat cake.” Considered the “Rococo Queen,” she is associated with luxury and frivolity, and she came to symbolize the excesses of the wealthy during a period when many people couldn’t afford bread, let alone the delicacies of cake.

      Mayorga’s primary medium is acrylic applied using a pastry bag. She references women workers—especially women of color—from whom colonial discourse stripped notions of femininity assigned to white women. She expands upon the framework of Rococo to analyze 21st-century issues, simultaneously serving us a reminder of the sacrifices and toil required to produce what capitalist society consumes.

      La Jaula de Oro and continues in Zapopan through January 5. Find more on Mayorga’s website and Instagram.

      Detail of “Banquete (Banquet)” (2024), hi-temperature ceramics, resin candle holders, bronze figures, and candles, dimensions variable. Photo by Lazarillo

      Installation view of La Jaula de Oro

      “Capitalist Clown” (2024), collage, acrylic marker, pastel, toy scorpion, and acrylic piping on canvas, 91. 44 x 121.92 centimeters

      Detail of “La princesa (Ride or Die)” (2024), crochet, plush toys, plastic toys, acrylic nails, rosaries, faux fur, belt buckles, vinyl stickers, ceramic tchotchkes, clock, toy cell phone, found license plate, trophy, wood, 161 acrylic roses, and acrylic piping on a 1974 Nissan Datsun, 4 x 1.6 meters. Photo by Lazarillo

      Detail of “La princesa (Ride or Die).” Photo by Lazarillo

      “Made in Mexico (Fecit Mexici)” (2024), mirror, hand mirror, acrylic nails, nail charms, clock, toy scorpion, collage, and acrylic piping on canvas, 91.44 x 121.92 centimeters

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    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Art

      Narsiso Martinez Exalts the Individuality of America’s Farmworkers in ‘Joyfully Grown’

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      “Delano Grapes” (2024), ink, charcoal, collage, acrylic, and simple leaf on grape box, 16 x 24 x 5.5 inches. Photos by @ofphotostudio Yubo Dong. All images © Narsiso Martinez, courtesy of the artist and Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, shared with permission

      Narsiso Martinez Exalts the Individuality of America’s Farmworkers in ‘Joyfully Grown’

      September 18, 2024

      Art Social Issues

      Kate Mothes

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      “In the Works,” the centerpiece of Narsiso Martinez’s solo exhibition at Charlie James Gallery, spans three walls and is made from dozens of found produce boxes. At the center of the piece and above a doorway is a long table resplendent with apples, kiwi, oranges, and grapes, all crowned by a chandelier.

      Flanking the dinner, farmworkers climb ladders or sit on the ground, sorting the harvest into the very boxes the composition is made from. Back in the center, the faceless attendees at the table enjoy the literal fruit of the workers’ labor.

      “In the Works” (2024), acrylic, gouache, charcoal, collage, and simple leaf on produce boxes, 178 x 305 inches

      In Joyfully Grown, Martinez (previously) continues his exploration of the labor system, relationships, and power imbalances. He taps into his experience emigrating from Oaxaca when he was 20 years old, determined to find a more sustainable livelihood in the U.S.

      Martinez finished high school at 29, then went on to study fine art in college. While he pursued an MFA, he began working seasonally in eastern Washington’s sprawling apple orchards where he became acquainted with other farmworkers and learned their stories.

      The artist was struck by how individuals in America’s agricultural system, whose intense physical labor the entire framework relies on, go unseen by those who depend on freshly stocked produce in the supermarket.

      “Resist” (2024), ink, charcoal, and simple leaf on strawberry box, 20 x 11.5 x 5.5 inches

      Beginning with photographs, Martinez employs visual languages of prestige—drawing specifically on Catholic portraiture’s emphasis on luxurious fabrics and backgrounds of gold leaf—to empower and uplift workers.

      In “Resist,” for example, a young man is portrayed within the frame of a berry box, backed with gold and wearing a graduation gown. The cap encircles his head like a halo, invoking the divine and signaling the glorious potential of education.

      By elevating the humble cardboard box to the status of picture frame and depicting hardworking people in their esteemed individuality, Martinez scrutinizes who and what society values.

      Joyfully Grown continues through October 26 in Los Angeles. Explore more of Martinez’s work on his Instagram.

      “The Planning” (2024), ink, gouache, charcoal, acrylic, and simple leaf on berry box, 15.5 x 20 x 4.25 inches

      Detail of “In the Works”

      Detail of “In the Works”

      “Blue Joy” (2024), ink, charcoal, collage, acrylic, and simple leaf on blueberry box, 16 x 23.5 x 5.5 inches

      “Fresh is Our Favorite” (2024), ink, charcoal, collage, and acrylic on red seedless grape box, 24 x 16.5 x 6 inches

      “Embracing Future” (2024), ink, charcoal, and simple leaf on orange box, 23.5 x 16 x 6 inches

      Collaboration with Ashley Jose-Isip, “On the Grass” (2024), ink, gouache, charcoal, and simple leaf on grape box, 15.75 x 23.75 x 5.5 inches

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    • 188 Shares179 Views

      in Art

      A New Book Chronicling the Artist-Designed Billboard Project For Freedoms Poses a Critical Question

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      JR, “Migrants, Mayra, Picnic across the border, Tecate, Mexico—U.S.A.” (2017). Salome, Arizona. Photo by Josh Haunschild

      A New Book Chronicling the Artist-Designed Billboard Project For Freedoms Poses a Critical Question

      September 18, 2024

      Art Books Social Issues

      Jackie Andres

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      Where do we go from here? At a point in history that feels so turbulent and unpredictable, this unresolved question sits at the forefront of many minds. For Freedoms, an artist-led organization channeling its efforts toward creative civic engagement and direct action, is set to release its first-ever monograph, fittingly named after the query.

      For Freedoms: Where Do We Go From Here? is a comprehensive 340-page collection of more than 550 artist-designed billboards from the last seven years. You might notice some familiar names involved in the project, such as Hank Willis Thomas, JR, and Nari Ward. Whether it be a pair of eyes staring straight forward, an impactful question directed toward the viewer, or the simplicity of the word “human being” in Arabic, each design leaves its audience to reflect on the issue at hand.

      Marilyn Minter, “If Not Now When?” (2020). Boring, Oregon. Photo by Lincoln Barbour

      Popping up in different corners of the United States from rural areas to urban centers, the works tackle a multitude of societal challenges and humanitarian crises that require urgency and advocacy.

      In contrast to a billboard’s usual profit-driven, commercial function, the large-scale structures instead become poignant messages in line with For Freedoms’ overall mission. By spotlighting short but compelling phrases, powerful imagery, and clever placement, the public installations act as a force for widespread movement.

      For Freedoms: Where Do We Go From Here? is slated for release on October 15, just before the 2024 election. Pre-order yours on Bookshop, and learn more on the organization’s website.

      Christine Sun Kim, “Words Shape Reality” (2018). Jefferson City, Missouri. Photo by Notley Hawkins

      Nari Ward, “Mass Action” (2016). Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Wyatt GalleryS

      Ross McDonnell, “DREAM” (2023). Los Angeles, California. Photo by Taisuke Yamada

      Hank Willis Thomas, “Who Taught You To Love?” (2020). Des Moines, Iowa. Photo by Jeff Scroggins More