Four must-see art shows that speak to the anxiety triggered by Trump’s DACA reversal
It has been the political hot potato of the month: The
This makes it a particularly poignant moment for art exhibitions around Los Angeles, many part of the recently launched Pacific Standard Time: LA / LA, that are currently exploring issues of immigration and uncertainty and, in some cases, the DACA issue directly. Here are four don’t miss shows:
With Trump's DACA reversal, an art moment rises: how two works have acquired new significance »
A piece of home
Los Angeles artist Camilo Ontiveros movingly captures the uncertainty of life without papers in a sculpture that is part of the PST: LA/LA group exhibition “Home — So Different, So Appealing,” currently on view at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “Temporary Storage: The Belongings of Juan Manuel Montes” gathers the personal effects of the Calexico, Calif., man who was the first DACA recipient to be deported by the Trump administration. On view through Oct. 15. 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, lacma.org.
How artist Camilo Ontiveros acquired the belongings of a DACA deportee and what he did with them »
The border in art and craft
Also part of the PST: LA/LA series is the exhibition “The US-Mexico Border: Place, Imagination, and Possibility” at the Craft & Folk Art Museum. The show features a range of art, craft and conceptual pieces that take the border and its culture as a point of inspiration. Included in the show: a vintage print design by Bay Area artist Rupert García that reads “¡Cesen Deportación!” — Cease Deportation. García originally created the design in 1973, but it remains strikingly current. Through Jan. 7. 5814 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, cafam.org.
Activist prints
Malaquías Montoya is an esteemed Chicano muralist, painter and printmaker whose activist imagery, focused on issues of empowerment and justice, helped define the aesthetics of the 1970s civil rights struggle for Mexican Americans. Now he is showing a series of politically oriented prints in his solo exhibition “Along the Border / A lo largo de la frontera” at Avenue 50 Studio in Highland Park. Two of his new works are specifically dedicated to DACA recipients. Through Oct. 7, 131 N. Avenue 50, Los Angeles, avenue50studio.org.
The lives of immigrants
The upcoming group show “South of the Border,” which opens at the Loft at Liz’s late next month, is bringing together artists from 10 countries to explore the topic of immigration. The exhibition will include work by Yunuen Bonaparte and Adrián Gonzalez, two photographers who are also DACA recipients. There will be an extensive slate of programming. Comedian Johan Miranda will perform a routine about his life as a DACA recipient, and Eileen Truax, author of “Dreamers: An immigrant Generation’s Fight for Their American Dream” will join the artists for a panel discussion. Opens Oct. 21 and runs through Dec. 4. 453 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, theloftatlizs.com and facebook.com.
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