PRESENTS
!QUEER CALIFAS TEA PARTY!
(artist~rick castro)
CLOSING EVENT FOR
QUEER CALIFAS: LATINX ART
DECEMBER 9TH
5PM
TEA & SWEETIES WILL BE SERVED
HOSTED BY RICK CASTRO
WALK-THRU WITH CURATOR
RUBEN ESPARZA
$10 COVER
RESERVATIONS~
PLUMMER PARK/LONG HALL
7377 SAN MONICA BLVD
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 90046
(LIMITED PARKING: SOUTH AND NORTH LOT)
(artist~ "chino" rodriguez)
(artist~ angelo alessandro rodarte)
Queer Califas 2017
There is a thread that connects Latinx people.
It is a strong soulful link, which is indelible.
A lineage that carries the rhythm of varied cultures.
Many are newcomers to this country cutting new paths.
Some from centuries-long histories from both colonizer and the colonized—
with Spanish and Portuguese surnames cloaking indigenous and African heritage.
(artist~rick castro)
Latino(a) art culture is not monolithic; there is not one story or one identity. “Latino(a)” as a category encompasses many cultures, identities, origins, and histories with many subsets, in this case a queer Latinx perspective. Spanish and Portuguese are gendered languages, which means that every noun has a gender. While some nouns keep their gender when they become plural, others change based on the gender composition of a given group of people. Some members of Latin American communities claim this gendered language reinforces patriarchal and heterosexist norms.
(artist~"chino" rodriguez)
Many Queer Latinx artists respond to the current pointed political moments or continue in their varied art practices moving beyond identity, place, or zeitgeist. A shared history connected through common language(s)—all taking a part in a queer cultural awakening with a surging desire to tell their stories. Time will tell how it weaves into the broader lineage of LGBTQ history.
The twenty-plus (multi-generational) Artists included in this exhibition, Queer Califas, express their artistry in real time—some with a fixed lens to the past and others' sights set to the future.
The artists list includes:
Laura Aguilar,
Marcel Alcala,
Maritza Amezcua,
Enrique Castrejon,
Rick Castro,
Ben Cuevas,
Gregorio Davila,
Diego Eduardo,
Cleonette Harris,
Carolina Hicks aka SBTL CLNG
, Rigo Maldonado
, Roy Martinez aka Lambe Culo
, Miguel Angel Reyes,
Angelo Alessandro Rodarte,
Manuel Rodrigues aka Sad Boy,
Daniel “Chino” Rodriguez,
Joey Terrill,
Rommy Torrico,
With support from the City of West Hollywood, WEHO Arts
(artist~miquel reyes)
________________________________________________________________
Ruben Esparza is an artist and independent curator based in West Hollywood.
Esparza’s practice spans painting, drawings and digital work, mixing it with elements of Conceptualism, ethnicity and Queer Culture.
His curatorial work focuses on under-represented artists primarily in the queer and ethnic communities.
(artist~sad boy)
