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New York City has long held the tradition as the home to many artists working with photography. However, South American artists have largely been unrecognized in contemporary art circuits. South Americans have made their home in NYC for decades, with Ecuadorians arriving in many waves, such as during the economic crisis in 1999, and Peruvians dating back to the 19th century. With around 190,000…
In the past year, I have needed poetry more than ever, for its music, its storytelling, its worldbuilding. As I was finalizing this list, I came across Peach Pit Corazón: A Judith Ortiz Cofer Reader , edited by Rafael Ocasio, and was reminded of the power of the poet as vernacular storyteller. Ortiz Cofer’s trailblazing Georgia-Rican voice seems more pertinent than ever as Latinx geographies are…
Credit: Cardboard House Press Oye! Poetry is song. It’s not like song. It is. Always. If it isn’t, you’re probably doing it wrong, probably been fed a paler shade of quasi-poetry from El Norte. A poem can be musical, might share qualities of a song, but they aren’t interchangeable. Tell that to Camarón de la Isla as he houndwail’s Federico Federico García Lorca’s “La Leyenda del Tiempo” to Celia…
Attendees dance cumbia during Con Tiempo’s block party. Photo by Nico A. Montano. On a Sunday afternoon in February, people braving single-digit temperatures fill the back of Tequila Time Bar Cafe in Ridgewood. They are there to attend an art event put on by the New York-born fashion brand Con Tiempo . The event, titled Sentimientos , is a gallery of poetry and stories. Mounted on the walls are…
In summer 2024, Professor Arlene Dávila (NYU) and Ph.D. student Orlando Ochoa Jr. (NYU) traveled to the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas to meet with artists and organizations like Cactus Valley Art & Supply Company , Resistencia Fronteriza , and Trucha RGV based across the lower and upper parts of the region. Following a series of studio visits, they organized a community dinner and conversation…
Molly Vasquez (“La Molly”), played by Mariana Vasquez, filming with her Super 8 camera. Courtesy of Jim Mendiola. Set in 1994 in San Antonio, Tejas, Jim Mendiola’s independent short film Pretty Vacant tells the story of 21-year-old Molly Vasquez (“La Molly”)—a working-class, queer punkera; drummer of the all-Chicana band Aztlán-a-Go-Go; local record store employee; aspiring filmmaker; and creator…
Courtesy of ISCP. Bryan Fernandez ’s En tránsito exhibition may first remind the viewer of the literal abundance of public transportation options available to New Yorkers. The works included in the Dominican-American visual artist’s exhibition at International Studio & Curatorial Program depicts Metropolitan Transportation Authority buses and people crossing busy uptown streets, evoking a feeling…
Junto © Luis C. Garza. A man films protesters during the Marcha por la Justicia at Belvedere Park on January 31, 1971. On April 9 and 10, NYC will host a historic gathering that reunites veterans of the 1960s Latinx freedom movements alongside scholars, students, and community members. The initiative led by historians Johanna Fernández and Felipe Hinojosa will include a conference and exhibition…
Courtesy of Netflix. Courtesy of Netflix. In the Netflix series Love, Death & Robots , an anthology of dystopian, cyberpunk, and futuristic animated short films, there is tension between refuge and hostility in AI-mediated spaces. These themes emerge in two episodes, in particular: “Life Hutch” and “Lucky 13.” Both center Black pilots navigating militarized futures, yet they offer contrasting…
Keysha Rivera, grandma moon (2025), detail. Courtesy of Keysha Rivera. How are people tied to geography? How does origin manifest itself in our lives? Keysha Rivera is an interdisciplinary artist whose work may not answer these questions in a universal sense, but may do so through her artistic practice as a sculptor, graphic designer, archivist, and fiber artist. Afro-Caribeña and Taína by blood,…
