atlas(t)
Gallería de la Raza
Through March 31
When I tell people that I live on Nob Hill, the response that I get,
with few exceptions, is always the same -- "that's a really nice
neighborhood." Without question, I understand the subtext of
this statement: you live in a moneyed area. And still I find myself
pondering this euphemism because of its weight and how it comes to
define a space. In this case, one that is affluent, but lacking in
a richness of public art, community, and culture. "atlas(t)," the
current exhibit at Gallería de la Raza in collaboration with
Kearny Street Workshop, examines and redefines the spaces we occupy
as communities and individuals through an openly political, irreverent
and direct approach to cartography. This poignant show includes painting,
sculpture, installation, photography, digital art, video, and public
performances by more than 35 Asian Pacific American and Latina(o)
artists. Several works take more personal trajectories such as "Mapping
Myself," a 12-week collaborative project among ten Horace Mann
students and artists John Leaños, Mónica Praba Pilar
and Marisa Vitiello. By documenting the various aspects of their lives
through digitally-generated collaged images, the middle-school students
have ruptured the stereotypes that are made about urban youth. Through
similar tracings, Conchita Villalba maps her family's migrations between
Mexico, China and the U.S. and Veronica Majano's video "Calle
Chula," is a wonderful and engaging contemporary Rip Van Winkle
story of a Salvadorian/Native American girl who wakes up to find her
Mission neighborhood radically changed. Exploring the edges of parallel
borders are Jaime Cortez's "Parting (Snap) Shot, a humorous,
yet distressing diorama of the intersection of 16th and Mission Streets,
and Jim Choi's two videos, tracking in tandem a Latino and an Asian
individual through a day of activities. The global encroachment of
multi-national corporations can be seen through the conceptual work
of Mike Arcega, who has created an intricately detailed map of the
world from dried SPAM, and Vikki Del Rosario's "Made In America,
Wash With Like Colors," a soft-sculpture globe made from denim
with a GAP tag erected on top. This is a truly intriguing show with
many surprising intersections and strata to navigate through. I highly
recommend setting aside a chunk of time to fully explore.
Gallerí de la Raza
2857 24th Street (at Bryant), San Francisco
Tues. to Sat. 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.
(415) 826-8009, (Megan Wilson) |
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