Arte, Cultura, y Resistencia
October 12 -November 26
CHICAGO OCTOBER 1, 2021 — Chicago Art Department’s newest exhibition brings punk music values to the gallery through an exploration of alternative modes of expression, making, and visibility through resistance.
Arte, Cultura y Resistencia, opening October 8 6-10 p.m. at Chicago Art Department, is what happens when two artists from a punk band decide to curate a show together. The exhibition features a small showcase of artists connected by their roots, activism and dedication to their neighborhoods and communities throughout Chicago and beyond. The works, which are a nod to their roots in music, fashion, writings, art, photography, and sculpture, are considered an act of activism in their existence.
Through this exhibition, curators Arturo Fresán and Carlos Ruiz of Brown n’ Loud pose many questions like — what happens when we produce from those perspectives, not for direct use in an illustrative manner, but as a mirror of reality? To visualize the voices of discomfort, dissidence and grief? To create as the path and not the objective? To revel in a tradition not bound by aesthetic atavisms but by effort and craftsmanship? They hope the viewer and fellow artists will ask these questions of themselves and reimagine the platforms we call art and to rethink the means of artistic production.
Artists Joseph Josué Mora, Mony Nuñez, Arturo Fresán, Luis Trejo, Hector Duarte, Martin Sorrondeguy, Ricardo X. Serment, Diana Solis, Pete Rangel, Felipe De Sousa, Milo Mendoza, and the Ocho Manos Collective respond to these questions by exploring themes of belonging, experimentation, and labor through the works presented. Each artist was chosen for their involvement in the community, either as teachers, instructors, or educators and for their active cultural development, constant expansion, and continuation of their own work in their own terms. Curator Arturo Fresán believes that the key to success is mutual support and organization within communities. All have published their own books, produced their own records, and learned to use tools and resources at their disposal.
“We hope people will see the talent of all these artists who always shared their time and work for others and who have always inspired others to create and express themselves,” Fresán says. “This exhibit will highlight their skills in their respective medium, and we hope to provide a scope of how wide and purposeful the learning process is within the punk and hardcore scenes, and how important it is for growth to be organic,” he said, adding “if we want to do “x”, how do we do it? We learn what we need to get “a”, “b” and “c” and then move and learn some more.”
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Curators Biographies:
Carlos Ruiz is the singer for Chicago hardcore bands Riesgo, Sin Orden, Descarados and many more. Born and raised in the south side of Chicago, he developed an early interest in the thriving hardcore scene due to its loud music, political awareness and capacity to share information and cultural traits across the world.
Arturo Fresán is a Mexico City born Visual Artist. He graduated from UNAM and relocated to Chicago. Besides his participation in the growing of the hardcore and post hardcore scenes in Mexico, he has over 20 years of experience
as a graphic designer and illustrator.Brown ‘N’ Loud came together as an experiment — the same way you could say a punk band is an experiment in musical assembly, but for a grassroots cultural non-profit in this case. Both Carlos Ruiz and Arturo Fresán, being veterans in the DIY hardcore punk scene, seek to push the conversation towards other creators of art and culture using all they have learned in organizing and producing their own content.
Photo by Fernando Ruiz
Contact: Carlos Flores
carlos@chicagoartdepartment.org
Arturo Fresán