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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Las Malhechas @ Mira Gallery
Wednesday 30 July @ 13:09:10 |
 by Natilee Harren
The rockstar title of Mira Gallery’s Las Malhechas, meaning “misfits,” sells this exhibition short. Rather than delivering a bad-girl punch, the work of artists Savita Bettaglio, Constanza Carballo, Alexa Horochowski, Patricia Mendoza and Deborah Ramos maintains a steadfast and calculated dignity. These local Latina artists narrate personal and communal histories of triumph and struggle through diverse media.
Savita Bettaglio displays acrylic paintings that recall terrifying dream sequences and illustrate a connection between body, earth and soul.
In a series of three paintings hung from curtain rods, Constanza Carballo replaces window curtains with a woman’s limp skin to frame the birth of a butterfly. It is clever imagery but simply rendered.
Patricia Mendoza’s work reveals her cynical, conflicted view of women’s roles. A collection of fabric embroideries and paintings seem at first glance to be decorative washcloths and napkins but actually reveal dirty household secrets. In “Con Amour I,” flowers and bluebirds accompany a woman cowering under her husband’s fist.
Mendoza’s sculpture “Si Te Vi Ni Me Acuerdo” mimics the headless character cut-outs popular among photo-snapping tourists. On the side that greets the viewer, a docile woman embraces a headless mariachi guitar player who waits to be brought to life by a male visitor. The panel’s flipside, however, reveals a bikini-clad dancer, forcing one to ask why she must be the equivalent of the heroic guitar player. Another caveat is that in utilizing the piece, a man must stick his head through where the dancer’s head would be, symbolically consuming her.
The most sophisticated are a series of sculptures by Deborah Ramos. Three hearts (the body part kind) rendered once each in wood, stone and clay are accompanied by photos of them cradled in the artist’s hands. The sculptures’ veins echoed in Ramos’ strong hands inspire thoughts on how the soul manifests itself physically and how time wears on the body.
The star of the show is Alexa Horochowski’s mural, “La Gauchita,” featuring a freckled girl on horseback. Crisp lines, monumental scale, and a Mona Lisa smile give the heroine a presence felt in every corner of the room. Howochowski presents an equally arresting video featuring similar cowgirls and the eerie sounds of whipping wind and chirping birds.
The artists of Las Malhechas cleverly utilize diverse media to make a statement on the Latina experience. Sorrowful and playful, sharp and lyrical, these diverse personal histories and critiques unite to express a bicultural commonality.
Las Malhechas runs through Sept 2. Mira Gallery in El Colegio building, 4137 Bloomington Ave. S., Mpls. Call for hours, 763-728-5728.
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