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Viva La Raza!
The posters in 'Chicano Park – 35 Años
de Victoria' pay tribute to power of the people
By Neil Kendricks
April 21, 2005
At Barrio Logan's Expressions of Mexico Gallery, you won't find traditional paintings on the wall, or sculpture occupying the space of its current show "Chicano Park – 35 Años de Victoria, 1970-2005 / Chicano Park - 35 Years of Victory, 1970-2005." On display through April 30, the gallery's exhibition space has been commandeered by a series of posters spanning more than three decades of Chicano Park Day.
The show's title is appropriate since the posters created
by such Chicano Park muralists as Victor Ochoa, Mario Torero and Sal Barajas
pretty much trace the trajectory of how much of the park's mission has remained
consistent since it first opened.
The show's presence also coincides with Saturday's Chicano Park Day Celebration
by offering a historical perspective on the park's significance to the
community.
There is no question that April 22, 1970, holds a special place
in the collective memory of Barrio Logan residents, marking the anniversary
of this public community space that has evolved into more than just a park.
The posters suggest that Chicano Park is nothing less than a nexus of local,
grass-roots politics, as well as an adventurous cultural haven for muralists
with a revolutionary bent.
This Chicano Park Day art exhibit has an undeniable
nostalgic glow that is strangely at odds with the more radical agenda of
its imagery. But there is still a dogeared, rebellious spirit evoked by
these fading posters encouraging San Diegans to attend various Chicano
Park Day festivities over the years.
Noon to 6 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; Expressions of Mexico Gallery, 1122 Cesar Chavez Parkway, Barrio Logan; Free; (619) 232-1793 |
While some borrow overt agitprop
techniques, other artists make clear references to earlier modern artists.
The viewer can see the influential shadow of Diego Rivera's political art
stretching over many of the pieces.
For example, one poster shows the politically
charged phrase "Resistance,
Unity & Power" flowing across a banner held aloft by a group of workers
on the march. In Ochoa's 1982 poster, the artist imagines the Coronado Bridge
morphing into an upraised fist dominating the composition of his pen-and-ink
drawing.
The show's artists prefer a straightforward approach instead of
courting any kind of ambiguity in the work. After all, posters are designed
to be seen and understood quickly. That's the whole point of mass-produced
imagery aimed at getting the word out about an event.
However, Ruben De Anda's
posters get their message across in a quiet, fairly subdued manner with his
watercolor piece of outstretched hands underscored by smiling children holding
balloons. In another of De Anda's posters, the artist emphasizes Hispanic
culture with his rendering of figures in colorful traditional garb.
And he
isn't alone when it comes to alluding to traditional Aztec iconography. Paying
tribute to the Aztec legacy is clearly part of the intent behind Victor Cordero's
1989 poster linking the ancient past with the present-day by juxtaposing
the image of an Aztec warrior with the more contemporary icon of a low-rider
automobile.
Many of the artists' images also throw in their fair share of
pop-cultural references. For instance, Torero's 1990 poster transforms and
humorously subverts the familiar 20th Century Fox logo into an icon espousing
power to the people. Torero's posters are among the show's highlights.
Rendered
in what appears to be graphite and colored pencils, Torero's 1995 poster
also alludes to Aztec culture with its image of a warrior brandishing snakes
while more contemporary revolutionaries carry flags in proud defiance.
In
several of the posters, the late Cesar Chavez and Laura Rodriquez appear
in the work as patron saints of sorts – activists mythologized into
larger-than-life figures. Rodriguez was one of the founders of Chicano Park
and her benevolent image is the centerpiece of Torero's most effective poster.
The numerous posters featured in "Chicano Park – 35 Años de
Victoria, 1970-2005" offer a form of documentation for Barrio Logan's much-loved
gathering place. And it's no stretch of the imagination to see the shout-outs
for unity behind these handmade artifacts from Chicano Park Day's past anniversaries
as an ongoing source of self-empowerment for viewers who share the artists'
heartfelt sentiments.
Neil Kendricks is a San Diego artist and writer.