Inside Art with Michael Rose — Art Exhibition Celebrates Hispanic Heritage

Inside Art with Michael Rose — Art Exhibition Celebrates Hispanic Heritage

 

National Hispanic Heritage Month takes place from September 15 through October 15 across the United States and a Providence gallery is mounting a special exhibition to explore themes of Hispanic Heritage in works created by local artists. At Public Shop and Gallery in the capital city, a tight-knit collection of pieces in an array of disciplines is both exploration and celebration.

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The exhibition features works ranging from photographs and mixed media pieces to prints, drawings, textile-based works, sculpture, and more. On view in Public’s space at 27 Sims Avenue, adjacent to The Steel Yard, the exhibition features an enticing body of works. Pieces by ten artists with local connections are on view including contributions by Nacho Amor, Vienna Mercedes Gambol, Izzy Rodriguez, Gabriela Cantú, Johanna Benitez, Haydee Naula, Michelle Perez, Jessica Reyes, S.A. Chavarría, and Christian Sánchez.

 

 

The exhibition opens with large-scale mixed media works by Johanna Benitez. Part painting and part collage, Benitez’s artworks are deeply personal and touch on her childhood in Central Falls as well as her Mexican-American identity. She combines recognizable local landmarks with imagery from Mexico, exploring her upbringing and familial heritage at the same time. Vibrant color is a key element of Benitez’s storytelling, which utilizes meandering collage elements to draw viewers through her work. In addition to wall-based pieces, Benitez is also exhibiting an interactive book, which brings the quality of her two-dimensional works into a dynamic format.

 

Benitez, like all the artists in the show, is sharing work that explores her experience. In her artist’s statement, she notes that her work is meant to reach young people like her, saying, “These colorful collages are to tell a story using not many words, to have Mexican-American kids like me feel seen and heard. For the Mexican-American kids that some people might say are too Americanized to be Mexican but too Mexican to be American, a constant phrase that has surrounded many. For the kids that society has made it almost impossible to succeed in their goals they want to do, these are all for you.”

 

 

For exhibitor Haydee Naula, language is a central theme. Naula is showing bold and innovative weavings that explore the use of Spanglish in her family and probe ideas around communication and mental health. In her artist statement, Naula explains, “Being diagnosed with OCD has made me aware of the compulsions I indulge in, particularly in writing. For over a year, I would shred every personal writing piece I created in a way to get rid of any evidence of being the way I was. For these three pieces, I had to stay with the words for weeks at a time - watching and rereading my feelings over and over again, making it large enough for others to see. These pieces were my exposure therapy for myself.”

 

Printmaker and RISD alum Vienna Mercedes Gambol offers a collection of works that show off her illustrative refinement across media in the exhibition. One piece, titled “When We Were Young, Among The Cactus Flowers” includes drawings peppered throughout a brightly-toned fabric assemblage. Other pieces show off Gambol’s dexterity as a printmaker exploring themes around her upbringing in San Ysidro, California, 8,000 feet from the border between Mexico and the United States. Her richly inked intaglio prints are small in scale but impressive in their fine detail and composition.

 

 

Participating artist Nacho Amor trained as a photographer at Parsons and is sharing two hanging paper sculptures in the show. Amor is a collections photographer for Brown University, but recently established a new non-profit to highlight Queer POC photographers.

 

Each of the artists in the show brings their own valuable perspective to the theme of Exploring Hispanic Heritage. Images by street photographer Izzy Rodriguez show off a documentarian eye for highlighting small details, while illustrations by Michelle Perez probe themes of feminine interiority in the context of the horror genre. Tattoo artist Jessica Reyes shares works in a range of media that all connect back to her Guatemalan background. Nearby, doll-like forms by Brown and RISD alum Gabriela Cantú leverage traditional ideas of folk arts and craft. A dynamic collaborative work by S.A. Chavarría, and Christian Sánchez brings video into the exhibition.

 

 

Public’s Exhibition Exploring Hispanic Heritage is a great show based on connectivity and storytelling. It is full of artworks that have profound personal meaning and broad resonance.

 

Public Shop and Gallery’s Exhibition Exploring Hispanic Heritage continues through October 13 in their exhibition space at 27 Sims Avenue in Providence. The exhibition will conclude with a closing reception on the 13th from 5-8 pm and will include an artist talk featuring four of the featured artists from 5:30-6:30 pm. For more information on viewing times for the exhibition, visit www.publicshopandgallery.com.