VIGIL(IA)
July 7- 29, 2023

vigil(ia) is an act of healing. A way to keep memories of space generational, as an act of vigilance and vigil between ourselves, our ancestors, history and our relationships to distances in remembrance. Existing in the contexts of the past, present, and futures of “otherness”, vigil(ia) re-engraves the existence of lives affected by colonial, environmental, spacial violence. Through sound, voice, image and alter, the four artists in vigil(ia) engage in vigil and vigilance, becoming archivists, watchers and keepers of their own memory and the continued memories of their loved ones. 

 Through acts of safekeeping voices, conversations, images and labor within their own relationships to the multiplicity of Latine identity, look to build beyond a single moment and preserve joy and reflection. Through the voice of her grandfather, Antonio, and his own personal documentation of life in Chicago, artist Marylu E. Herrera dives into relationships of closeness and distance between her grandfather’s oral histories and moments of celebration through her latest series, Coronas. Frank Vega clouds the documentation of his family members through his own world building and iconographic language, repositioning them on a spiritual and divine plane. Carina Yepez uses fiber and textile techniques to reminisce and reweave the memories of her ancestors and elders, recreating the intimacy and softness of her maternal relationships. Through living flora, Juan Molina Hernandez creates a safe passageway for self and ancestors in acts of guardianship and homemaking.