Pamela Chavez, Valor, 2019
Pamela Chavez, Valor, 2019
Pamela Chavez
Valor, 2019
Serigraph, Ed. of 80
30”x22”
Valor pays homage to the artist’s relationship and union with her partner, and to their individual cultural heritage. At Pamela’s wedding, their home-made altar included an image of the Virgen de Guadalupe, which served as the inspiration for this serigraph. The Virgencita’s celestial figure, as Pamela affectionately calls her, takes center stage. She is surrounded by cultural symbols reflecting Pamela’s Costarican background and her partner’s Mexican-American heritage. A halo-like Jaguar firmly stares at the viewer from behind the virgin, with hanging bananas, rich red banana leaves, and cactus anchoring the main figure, the iconic Mexican image of worship. The artists’ animation style and skills are found in every detail of the work, with the use of halftones and symbols of movement throughout.
Queerida
The word Queerida is a playful combination of the word Queer and the beloved song Querida by the late Mexican singer-songwriter, Juan Gabriel, who coincidentally, never openly admitted his homosexuality to the public.
Queerida is a fitting title to this atelier, that brings together five Queer women of color with diverse Latin American backgrounds. Through personal and shared experience, each artist created vibrant and colorful prints representing self and community empowerment, a celebration of women and the female body, and, most importantly, the liberating act of being true to who they are. Many of the works include symbols of their celestial and spiritual connections, rooted in ancestral backgrounds or the land itself. Queerida symbolizes queer love. Both to oneself and for their partner.
The production of Queerida initiated in late 2017, with three works completed in 2018, and two in 2019. The entire suite will be featured for the first time during SHG’s 2020 Annual Print Fair. Artists in the Queerida include Dalila Paola Mendez (curator), Angelica Becerra, Pamela Chavez, Trenely "Clover" Garcia, and Cynthia Velasquez.