A new art exhibition is adding to the ongoing dialogue about immigration and immigrant culture.
Santa Monica Cultural Affairs presents Latinidad in Focus: Sin Fronteras, featuring artists Marilyn Montufar, Enio Hernandez and Vanessa Briones at the Annenberg Community Beach House. The exhibition, on view from May 10 through September 6, seeks to further the dialogue about immigration and immigrant culture through the presentation of communities, stories, and individuals’ backgrounds, both in Los Angeles and abroad.
“The experience of photographing communities throughout Mexico opened a window to my own heritage and has allowed me to share a different reality than what is portrayed in mainstream media,” said participating artist Marilyn Montufar.
Reflecing on the current political climate as well as on their experiences as first-generation Americans, these photographers document Latino communities both in the United States and Latin America, exploring identities forged in a multinational context.
“My work draws inspiration from urbanism, nature, and the multiplicity of cultural identities that inhabit them,” said Enio Hernandez.
In Colombia, Brazil, and Guatemala, Enio Hernandez captures the natural landscape and individuals’ relationship to their environment in their homelands. Marilyn Montufar photographs acquaintances and friends, currently focusing on communities in Los Angeles and Mexico. Her intention is to give a voice and a face to people marginalized by society – individuals on the social, economic and racial peripheries. Vanessa Briones captures beauty in the banal, utilizing subject matter and color palettes that blur the boundaries of traditional and contemporary modes of Latino representation.
Briones says of her work, “I like to create a dreamlike quality and sense of nostalgia in my photographs that transport the viewer to another time period.”
Light refreshments will be served and a DJ will entertain at the opening reception with the artists Thursday, May 10th, 6 – 8 p.m. Free event, tickets required. For ticketing and other information, go to annenbergbeachhouse.com/activities/cultural-programs-events-and-tours.aspx
