prints, sculpture, video)
KSpace Contemporary
Opens Sept 4
Image: "Noche Extraña" watercolor- Ricardo Ruiz (20" x 28")
STATEMENT
Since the spectacle of Lucha Libre (Freestyle wrestling) began in Mexico it has captivated audiences and created a phenomenon that has gained popularity all over the world. The fact that the wrestlers don a mask is very compelling and beckons us to assume a role in the ring. Whichever side you choose to play in the ring; the "rudo" (rude boy brawler, bad guy) or the "tecnico" (traditional technical wrestler, good guy), the mask acts as a portal allowing our imagination to embody the luchador (wrestler).
This exhibit sits us, the audience, on the edge of the dark and controversial, the childish and even spiritual, rendering for us a colorful allegory of good versus evil. Although the mask's use in the sport hides the luchador's face, what emerges as a result of this masquerade is the paragon of a Mexican visual past and a newfound adoration and creation of a new iconic face of Mexico.
"Enmascarados: the Masked Ones", is not simply an exhibit but a collection of Chicano artists participating in a happening. It is a tour de force of artistic talent celebrating a slice of culture. The work included displays photos, paintings, mixed media, video, and sculpture which continues a dialogue of diversity and irreverent playfulness, nostalgia and exoticism.
-A. Quesada
Participating artists:
Gerald Lopez (Corpus Christi)
Xavier Garza (San Antonio)
Enrique Martinez (El Paso – San Antonio)
Celeste De Luna (Brownsville)
Abel Ortiz-Acosta (Val Verde-Del Rio)
Federico Archuleta (El Paso- Austin)
Hector Hernandez (Laredo)
Bonifacio Rodriguez (Austin)
Marcela Morán (Laredo)
Fidencio Duran (Austin)
Beto Gonzales (San Antonio-Los Angeles)
Faustinus Deraet (Mexico City-Belgium)
Jose Rodriguez (Venezuela-Leander)
Angel Quesada (Los Angeles-Boston)
Jesus Cimi (El Paso)
Ricardo Ruiz (Corpus Christi)
