{"id":28108,"date":"2015-02-26T14:38:46","date_gmt":"2015-02-26T20:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=28108"},"modified":"2018-11-05T14:48:00","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T20:48:00","slug":"our-america-latino-presence-at-the-umfa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/our-america-latino-presence-at-the-umfa\/","title":{"rendered":"Our America: Latino Presence at the UMFA"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rodriguez_carlos\"<\/a>

Joseph Rodr\u00edguez, Carlos, from the series Spanish Harlem, 1987, chromogenic print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, gift of the ar tist. \u00a9 1987, Joseph Rodr\u00edguez.<\/p><\/div>\n

To consider oneself an American is to acknowledge an inherent lack of cultural homogeny. The nation is comprised of countless national ancestries, cultures, religions and customs. So much so that the traditional and hopeful \u201cmelting pot\u201d metaphor has given way to the more realistic \u201ctossed salad.\u201d The Utah Museum of Fine Art\u2019s new blockbuster exhibition Our America<\/em> showcases a part of that salad, the enormous-and far too often overlooked-influence of Latino culture in American art.<\/p>\n

Organized by curator E. Carmen Ramos, of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Our America<\/em> is intimidating in its scale and ambition, tackling a number of important social, political and personal subjects as well as introducing viewers to a diverse spectrum of artists and mediums. The breadth of Latino-American artistic achievement is astonishing, especially considering the often-debilitating obstacles that impede cultural assimilation. Without a single theoretical lens to view the artworks, the show becomes a collection of perspectives divided into nine major themes. Premises such as immigration, exile, personal identity, and socio-political activism coalesce to form an impressive statement of how the past informs the present.<\/p>\n

From the moment they enter the exhibition, visitors are confronted with an array of media. Displayed near the show\u2019s entrance hangs a majestic blue canvas littered with the human and sensorial activity of an urban space. Carlos Almaraz\u2019s \u201cNight Magic\u201d (1988) serves as a powerful autobiographical assessment, detailing the simultaneous exhilaration and isolation inherent to urban life. Akin to Picasso\u2019s Blue Period, the work\u2019s palette mimics the emotional turmoil of its subject. The painting\u2019s bright colors and enigmatic figures dance around a lively canvas, yet underscore the tragic plight of the artist as a minority living with AIDS.<\/p>\n