When the world has a narrow vision of Latinidad, the best way for Latinos to break with implied narratives is to divide and redefine, to refrain from creating art that fits snugly into expectations, and to draw ideas from traditions and personal vaults, while twisting it in ways that can’t be pinpointed at first glance.
“This is something that I’m very proud of—this is a Latinx art show without having to be very Latinx,” curator Dr. Emmanuel Ortega tells the Weekly. “Here, the art is very specific and nuanced.”
Challenging conventional narratives within Latinidad, the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art’s newest exhibit, Contemporary Ex-votos: Devotion Beyond Medium combines contemporary expressions of 15 Latinx artists with a collection of 19th to 20th-century ex-votos from the archives of New Mexico State University. Originally unveiled at NMSU’s gallery in 2022, the exhibit found a new home at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Gallery 400 in January and has since traveled west, where it continues to captivate audiences.
At the heart of the exhibit lies the juxtaposition of retablos and ex-votos—devotional artworks steeped in tradition—alongside the innovative interpretations of contemporary artists. Retablos, rich in religious symbolism, and ex-votos, humble expressions of gratitude, traditionally adorn tin surfaces commemorating answered prayers and celebrating survival.
Under the curation of Ortega, the pieces showcased transcend historical boundaries.
”I wanted to respect the integrity of the process of making ex-votos, which have been around Mexico since the 1600s,” he says.
While curating the exhibit, Ortega’s initial impulse was to include Latinx artists who weren’t making religious art. “They understood the intricacies of the culture behind something like an ex-voto, but were not necessarily making two-dimensional, religious art,” he says. “That’s one of the reasons we call it Beyond the Medium, because I didn’t want to just have artists re-creating ex-votos—because to me, that’s a form of colonization and appropriation.”
Krystal Ramirez’s “¿Qué he hecho yo para merecer esto! (What Have I Done to Deserve This?)” embodies ideas of gender, immigration and Las Vegas’ mid-century modern architecture. Ramirez, daughter of an immigrant construction worker, challenges male-centric creation with handmade brise-soleil bricks. Neon lettering, taken from queer filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar’s 1984 film of the same name, adorns the artwork, reflecting Vegas’ vibrant signage and deeper cultural resonance.
In an examination of how immigrants’ presence can shape a city, Justin Favela re-creates signage from his childhood out of cardboard and reflects on the businesses whose signs have been painted over. Yvette Mayorga’s piece is inspired by her mother’s occupation as a cake decorator in Chicago. The bright colors and seemingly harmless depictions are shattered upon closer inspection.
“When you get close, you start seeing all the sinister ideas that aim to deconstruct the distortion that the American dream represents to a lot of Latinos,” says Ortega.
As Contemporary Ex-votos continues to traverse different spaces, it serves as a testament of the enduring power of art in reshaping and reclaiming narratives. Through their interpretations of ex-votos, the artists offer a glimpse into the complexities of modern Latinidad. By marrying tradition with innovation, the exhibit becomes a sanctuary for communal storytelling and challenges us to confront preconceived notions.
Contemporary Ex-votos: Devotion Beyond Medium Thru November 23, Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., free, Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, unlv.edu.
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