Hardscrabble realities in rose colored hues
By hola | Published | No Comments
Carolina Mayorga, a local artist in the pink boots, uses the soft color and femininity to call attention to tough social realities facing migrants communities.
Her most recent exhibition, Pink Ranchos and other Ephemeral Zipcodes, is up now at the Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) in Northwest Washington D.C., and the second week of March the cities of Bogota and Bucaramanga, Colombia, will have the pleasure of appreciating part of this artistic creation.
The color pink has been part of her art for more than 10 years, becoming a personal signature that works with the psychology of the color to suggest a subtle, positive and romantic message
“The origin of the concept born in my home country, Colombia. In 2016, I was traveling in a region called La Guajira. What caught my attention was the precarious conditions, in which the population lives and what is happening inside these houses. Women and children are the most affected by poverty, eviction and migration”, Mayorga explained.
Her innovative exhibition up now at the AMA starts with video sculptures, where 10-second video clips play on a loop inside provisional pink shelters, made it of cardboard and wood. Inside, a 10-second video displays different situations. A pleasant sensation invites the audience to relax in this captivating pink world. A closer look gives you a contrast. Each house content a 10-second video displaying violent scenes based on the reality of the people in La Guajira community. Assaults, abuse of power and violations of human rights, are some of the cases shown.
It is a situation that is reflected not only in the communities of different Latin American countries,” she said. “Here in Washington, D.C., I visited homeless shelters and found many similarities but in a different geographical context. Families are broken up and separated every day. It is a very sad and shocking reality.”
The exhibition also has an interactive piano that attendees can “play.” Touch a key and out comes the sounds of music combined with the real voices of immigrants, describing their toughest encounters in short phrases that make this exhibition more creative and real. The combination of lyrical and abstract musical notes with the levity of the immigrant voices draws viewers in and underscores the exhibition’s main concepts. The color pink and video footage of the artist as the woman dancing in the pink boots creates a perfect juxtaposition of meaning.
This colorful and real adventure concludes in a pink games room that invites people to test their creativity. The artist has left the pink paper in the room that the public can use to make origami figures. People can also challenge themselves by playing a traditional Colombian game call it “La Juerga”.
Upcoming Activities
The exhibition, which opened on Feb 14, has received good reviews and press coverage. It will be up until May 19, with more interactive events.
This Thursday, Mar. 21, Mayorga will preside over a “Choza Artist Party” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The evening will also feature three other local artists, Maribeth Egan, Heloisa Escudero y Jessica Kallista, who will interpret artistic performances about the exhibition and interact with the audience.
On Wed., April 17, from noon to 1 p.m., curator Laura Roulet will moderate an artist talk.
Finally, on May 11, from noon to 4 p.m., the exhibition will culminate within outdoor experience titled, “Square Foot Give Away,” in which the community can interact in an outdoor exhibition and different activities related with the theme of Mayorga’s art.
All events will be at the Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) in Washington DC. For more information, visit the museum’s website.
-Rosa Alejandra Hernández
Recent Stories
