Thoughts on Bi-Lingual + the Artists’ Roundtable

Ayanah Moore brings our attention to whiteness, its relevance on the concept of minority and the void there is for artists to present their work in a space that accepts and does not to judge or weigh alternative representational systems. We are acculturated to perceive whiteness as a state of grace separated from race and ethnicity. We face here (and forget most of the time) that the race concept was invented by the white culture. A white dominating society needn’t to define them. Whites distanced themselves from an ethnic concept and proclaimed to hold “the superior” culture.  As a foreigner, not immigrant, from one of the regions of Latin America I understand Moore’s distrust of events created to highlight your pain, differences, struggle and/or genetic make-up. Many events of this kind are produced with good will but still carry a colonialist mentality.  As soon as you mention that you belong ethnically or genetically to a non-white group you are immediately classified, as having or lacking certain characteristics. Moreover when you associate with your kin all sorts of assumptions and prejudices are set in place in order to “understand” what you and “your group” are about.

The challenges then for artists participating in a show like Bi-lingual are several. How can you associate with a group that shares some of the characteristics that define you while keeping your associations fresh and open? How do you carve a space where you can explore your “layers of complexity” and have a safe space for your findings?  How do you get away from the sometimes convenience of your own stereotypes?  Ultimately how do you remain honest to your origin, expand yourself, challenge the labels imposed on you and transcend as an artist?

My interest in this exhibit was to talk to some of the artists on opening night. To listen to the stories they had and to ask them why participate in an exhibit like this. I spoke with some of them. I found Michael Lovelace and his loving, unapologetical rendition of the Americana that belongs to all of us but that we choose to ignore. There is the work of Rafael Valdivieso-Troya and his archetypal/intellectual pieces created especially for this exhibit. In them we observe, receive and participate. We are set in front of a choir of brujas singing from the depths of our souls and choose which ones to listen to. Finally Saskia Jorda with a beautiful, open abstraction of her development of bilingualism as a child whose mother spoke to her in English and  whose father did it in  Cataluñan.   What I found was that there is a venue outside the ethnic sale. The three artists mentioned took the challenge and used it to present their realities and their reflections on the larger context.  All I can say is excellent job Angelica and Spaces. I am looking forward to see more of these artists and type of work again soon.

~ Lourdes Sanchez

Red Cabbage Braised in Red Wine

Angelica Pozo
angelica@angelicapozo.com | 65.43.160.43

We had a lively panel discussion last night at Spaces, and I want to thank all who came out and participated in the dialogue. Special thanks to all the artists present and to Ayanah for doing such a great job moderating. Afterwords we had a delicious pot luck for which I made Red Cabbage Braised in Red Wine and many wanted to know what was in it. So for you all here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Red Cabbage Braised in Red Wine

1 head of red cabbage, about 1 1/2 pounds
salt
2 TBsp olive oil
2 large celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 medium sized red or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBsp finely chopped parsley
1 bay leaf
pinch of dried thyme
10 juniper berries
freshly ground pepper
1 large tart apple, grated
1 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup golden raisins
strong red wine vinegar

Blanching the cabbage keeps it sweet-tasting, so begin by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. While it is heating, cut the cabbage into quarters, remove the cores, and cut the cabbage into narrow shreds. When the water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and the cabbage. Boil for 2 minutes, then pour the cabbage into a colander and set it aside to drain.

Warm the oil in a wide pan and add the celery, carrot, onion, garlic, parsley, bay leaf, thyme and juniper berries. Season with salt and plenty of pepper cook over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and the apple. Stir everything to combine. If the pan is crowded, use a pair of tongs to pick everything up and turn it over.

Pour in the wine and water, cover the pan, and cook over medium heat. Check after 20 minutes or so, add the raisins and turn the vegetables over. Continue cooking uncovered, until the liquids are reduced to a syrup, about 25 minutes or more. Taste for salt, add enough red wine vinegar to give it a lively edge, and serve.

Thoughts on the Bi-Lingual Exhibition – A Visitor’s View

I was very pleased to have attended the recent Bi-Lingual exhibition at Spaces.  Whenever I come to the gallery I have found many things not only interesting to view but quite thought provoking as well.  The current display of works is no exception.

 

I am always in awe of the great amount of detail and thought that goes into an artist’s work.  The average person’s casual look at art that has taken an incredible amount of manhours to put together hardly seems fair.  Not truly being an artist myself I cannot appreciate all the effort these talented individuals have invested in what they bring to us.  There certainly are some works, however that rise above others and do make a greater number of people take notice.

 

I was particularly impressed with the works created and put together by Juan-Si Gonzalez and Paloma Dallas.  Utilizing a variety of media we find that each individual’s story becomes part of the patchwork that is America.  I was surrounded by tales of various people whose backgrounds, though they may be different from mine, reflect a commonality of purpose in the world.  Whether looking at visual material or listening to personal stories I was absorbed by the vast array of what was presented. Of the various exhibits shown by all the artists involved I feel it was the one that was the most positive and complete in its approach. 

 

The sheer number of people’s stories placed upon paper chains was very moving to me.  Beyond impressive, it opened my thoughts up to how we are all connected and how each of us can find ways to see that we are all part of the same human family.  As a part time religous school teacher for a 7th grade class at Congregation Bethaynu in Pepper Pike, I began to formulate the way I could apply the idea of using the paper chains as a long term project.  I plan to have the class express themselves on various themes and over the course of the year see how they fit into a bigger picture of both our country and our world.

 

As the Bi-Lingual exhibition often points out through the eyes of various artists, our country is not just a melting pot of various nationalities and colors, but how others see us often affects the way we see ourselves.  We have come to expect people to perform in certain ways based on their ethnicity or race, pigeonholing everyone we see.  Is that any different when you examine different religions or sexual orientation?  Perhaps the theme can be expanded upon to be Multi-Lingual, as we find ourselves playing a variety of roles most often dependent upon who is listening.

 

The most unfortunate things is that we often have no time to listen and no time to learn.  Things just keep going faster and we are forced to move along regardless of our true desires.  I have always maintained that people must learn to communicate better so as to get their messages understood.  One may remember the Bible tale of the Tower of Babel or Paul Newman in “Cool Hand Luke” when he said “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”  Both stories did not end well.  All the more reason to continue working at it.

~ Jeffrey Pearl, SPACES visitor