From now until Sept. 26, a diverse group of Hispanic artists will be featured in the main gallery of the South Broadway Cultural Center.
"Mezcla Invites" includes local Hispanic artists and Chicanos from all over the United States who work in a diversity of mediums to express what it means to be Chicano.
Throughout the exhibit elements of colonial, modern and post-modern schools are blended expertly with elements of Hispanic culture of today and yesterday.
Among the diverse set of artists featured in "Mezcla Invites" is Albuquerque's own Oscar Lozoya, whose silver-print photographs are breathtaking. With a sometimes quiet and sometimes gregarious eloquence, his portraits revel in their ability to dictate a story with just one frame.
"Betty and Ramon," a portrait of an aged Chicano couple, resonates with dignity, whereas "Cupido y Jupiter" leaps from the confines of the frame with joviality.
Also included in "Mezcla Invites" is "Hitchhikers y Brujiduras" and "Paul," his one portrait featuring a single subject. "Paul's" wrinkled face, broken teeth, and glass eye relay a relaxed demeanor, in spite of what appears to have been a relentless existence. His calm eye draws you in with all the austerity of a Zen master and the joy of a playing child.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Lozoya is lifelong resident of the South Broadway barrio and his book of photographs, Fine Art: Portrait Photography is available now.
Another stand out artist featured in the show is Judy Miranda. Her photography, touched up with a computer reflects a modern interpretation of Hispanic culture's religious roots. Her "Our Lady of Guadalupe," shows the famed icon of Chicano life looking down to the insides of a small chapel. The digitally enhanced image of the chapel guides our eye out of the exaggerated dark roads of shadows into pastures of intense color. The small interior becomes a landscape, with the beloved religious icon becoming something of a queen looking down upon her kingdom.
Her revision of the chapel scene takes on a whole new light when you hear just a portion of her explanation.
"My visual imagery is a memory of things that have passed," Miranda said. "My photos remember things long after I have forgotten."
Miranda has photographed subjects from the Royal Palace of Thailand to the barrios. Her 23-year experience lends her an impressive visual vocabulary manifest in every one of her pieces.
Carlos Fresquez's mixed-media works reflect not only the content associated with Hispanic culture, but it's form as well. His "Obsidian Ranfla Series" appears throughout the show and stuns with its post pop-art and Chicano influences.
Fresquez describes his current series as a "tiempo trip into the ancient future" as he blends elements of old Hispanic roots with modern-day culture. His "The Obsidian Ranfla Series #8" includes the bold layering of symbols of Chicano culture including the "Corazon de Jesus" and the word "Futuro" on top of a large automobile.
Another striking artist in the show is Daniel Salazar with his Archival Fuji chrome-print montages. Bent on subverting classical images of indigenous and Chicano pride into humiliating moments of commercialism, Salazar relays his chilling message in an refreshingly playful way.
"Mezcla Invites" includes many other artists and will be showing at the South Broadway Cultural Center at 1023 Broadway SE through Sept. 26. The center is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information call 848-1320.
