On July 28, the International Chicanx Art Conference begins—a platform for dialogue and exchange that brings together artists, curators, researchers, writers, educators, and cultural practitioners from Mexico and the United States.
As an extension of the exhibition *AztLÁn, Time Tunnel*, the program takes the reflections presented in the exhibition beyond the exhibition space. As part of this event, we spoke with Tijuana-based Sayak Valencia—a philosopher , feminist theorist, essayist, and performance artist. She, along with Graciela Iturbide, Chaz Bojórquez, and other participants, is taking part in this event, which is being held at the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Cineteca Nacional de México.
Entre lo chicano y el capitalismo gore
“Where does Mexico begin and where does the United States end in this region?” Sayak asks. For at least two decades, feminism and Chicano movements have been part of her field of study. Now, in her role as a thinker on the border, she is participating in this international conference.
“I’m interested in exploring the interstices and hybridity between cultures, but also contemporary geopolitics, where this concept I’ve been developing for nearly a decade and a half—which I call ‘gore capitalism’—addresses violence and the economies of death at the borders,” he adds.
En esa coyuntura, el recrudecimiento de la persecución y el perfilamiento racial ha traído como consecuencia el incremento del racismo, pero también políticas vejatorias en contra de las comunidades latinas, específicamente mexicanas o chicanas en Estados Unidos.
Siete generaciones de chicanos
“Chicanos have been there for at least seven generations, and those of us who live on this side and the other realize that there is a shared cultural heritage—one that isn’t always so obvious to the rest of Mexico— but which, right now, as we reevaluate the work of Chicano artists, is also creating a cultural imagination centered in Mexico City—the ancient Tenochtitlán, Aztlán,” says Sayak.
“I believe there is a great deal of misinformation about what Chicano culture is, but there have always been important figures—such as Graciela Iturbide and other representatives of Chicano art—who have been recognized in other parts of the world. In Mexico, I think there’s a great deal of ignorance about what Chicano identity represents, and many consider it—or have considered it over the past few decades—to be…”
“Even back in the 1980s, the Mexican government commissioned a study here on the border to find out if we were losing our command of Spanish and if that constituted a loss of national identity,” he says.
Chicano Cultural Imagery Through Art
“I think the Chicano cultural imagination has survived precisely through the dissemination of its art and its enormous influence on many contemporary cultures via this subculture of lowriders, pachucos, or cholos. And Chicano communities are often criminalized because they’re associated with the cholos, who are basically these gangs from Los Angeles,” says Sayak.
“It also gives us food for thought about the richness of our own culture in Mexico—or our cultures in Mexico—and how they can engage in dialogue in the face of this techno-fascist redesign of the world; how art and the fine arts—but also literature, cultural studies, and everything related to sensibility—are contested by various actors because they are important.”
A Dispute Over Sensitivity
What we’re seeing right now is a dispute over sensitivity because, once we get past that, we can do anything. I think what’s interesting about this political, economic, and social moment is that it’s truly proving that art does serve a purpose.
“We’ve always been told that art serves no purpose, but it creates such powerful cultural imaginaries that certain figures try to appropriate them to strip us of our images and meaning and speak to us in our own terms—but with arguments designed to retaliate.”
In the face of that fascism, I believe that Chicano art can lead us not only to a deeply synesthetic and fascinating aesthetic experience; it can also help us understand that politics is built from the ground up. And sometimes from a very simple foundation, with very clear objectives and a solid foundation in activism. And when I speak of activism, I am also referring to visual forms of activism and aesthetic advocacy—not just traditional politics.”
The Different Aspects of Chicano Art
There are many facets of Chicano art, but it must be said: not all art created by Mexican Americans is Chicano. “Being Chicano means taking a political stance. A person born in the United States who is of Mexican descent—if they do not take a political stance—is not Chicano. If they ‘whitewash’ their identity, they are not Chicano,” he asserts.
“That leads us to the realization that not all Mexican Americans are Chicanos. Chicanismo involves embracing not only social activism but also artistic activism.”
Graciela Iturbide and Her Documentation of Chicano Communities
The exhibition also brings together key figures for understanding the history and ongoing relevance of the movement. “There are several artists. I think one of the people I find most significant—even though she’s one of the best known—is Graciela Iturbide, because she was one of the first to document these Chicano communities. Plus, she’s an elderly woman now, so I think it’s very important to give this kind of recognition while she’s still alive.”
“There are also some people who make videos, films, and dance performances—all of which I find interesting because they reinforce the idea of Chicano Power. In such a turbulent and authoritarian time in the United States, it’s important to recognize that they cannot erase everyone’s historical and political memory.”
“Mucha de la gente joven que está haciendo arte piensa que no hubo nada antes, porque una de las estrategias del autoritarismo es borrarnos la memoria. Y no sólo del autoritarismo de la ultraderecha, también del autoritarismo tecnofascista chino, por ejemplo, o ruso. Hay que entender que la memoria y la memoria simbólica son importantes para construir un mundo posible y una imaginación política para el futuro de estas juventudes”, finaliza Sayak.
Pensar el presente
Beyond offering a historical overview of the Chicano movement, for Sayak Valencia, the exhibition also opens up the possibility of reflecting on the present. In a context marked by the rise of authoritarian discourses and the political use of images, she believes that art and culture have become a battleground from which forms of resistance are also constructed.
Check out the full program for the International Chicanx Art Gathering.
Discover more interviews, exhibitions of contemporary art projects, and border art in AW Magazine.
