Nuestro Mundo

Sep. 16, 2017–Jan. 8, 2018
Brody Botanical Center (weekends only)
Victor Reyes, Mission of the Humming Bird, linoleum print on paper, 2017.

Victor Reyes, Mission of the Humming Bird, linoleum print on paper, 2017.

Artist’s statement:
The Mission of the Hummingbird is a linoleum block print inspired by a story from the land of the Quechauas in which a flower transforms into a hummingbird moving a god to tears with its courage. The tears awaken a serpent, its wings shedding rain on the earth, thus saving it.

Victor Reyes, La Piña, oil pastel on paper, 2017

Victor Reyes, La Piña, oil pastel on paper, 2017

Eve Moreno, Las Personxs Queer Florecerán, mixed media, 2017.

Eve Moreno, Las Personxs Queer Florecerán, mixed media, 2017.

Artist’s statement:
Las Personxs Queer Florecerán is a cultural piece combatting the colonial constructs of sex and gender that were forced upon indigenous communities during the conquest. These constructs permeate the spiritual and mental health of the survivors of colonial and communities of color today. This piece is meant to be a beacon of liberation from that sex/gender binary and a reminder that liberation looks different to each and every one of us. Now more than ever, it is critical for the preservation of queer and trans lives to reclaim our identities, the truth we see about our lives and not what colonization has deemed as the right way to live. This piece was created using elements of photography, painting, and months of critical engagement with queer and trans communities of color.

Eve Moreno, Non Binary Femme, acrylic on illustration board, 2017.

Eve Moreno, Non Binary Femme, acrylic on illustration board, 2017.

Artist’s statement:
This Self Portrait is a reflection of my ever changing identity as a queer and trans person of color. Although my exterior is seen as intimidating, loud, defiant, and eccentric, inside I am tender, sensitive, and always critically questioning whether I am further empowering my community, or perpetuating violence. Queer and trans people are resilient beings; although we have liberated ourselves (some more than others) from the social constructs that bind our communities, the violence against our marginalized identities has become internalized. Thus, our internalized violence may be reproduced onto the people we love the most.

Pause

The two dozen paintings in this installation are the work of young adults ages 18 to 26 who are mentored by Art Division, a non-profit organization that trains and supports Los Angeles youth from underserved communities who are pursuing careers in the visual arts. The students used The Huntington’s exhibition, Visual Voyages: Images of Latin American Nature from Columbus to Darwin as inspiration.

**Open weekends only, the exhibition will be open one Monday only, Jan. 8, its final day.