Existing comment:
Malaquias Montoya
born Albuquerque, New Mexico 1938
Yo Soy Chicano
1972, reprinted in collaboration with Dignidad Rebelde in 2013
screenprint on paper
In the 1960s, to call yourself Chicano -- a formerly derogatory term for Mexican Americans -- became a cultural and political badge of honor that expressly rejected the goal of melting-pot assimilation. Montoya visualizes this shift in consciousness with his depiction of two figures holding or wearing broken shackles to evoke a conceptual break with the past. Yo Soy Chicano, which was initially created to promote a nationally broadcast documentary of the same name, functions as both personal affirmation and a collective call to action.
Gift of Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores García, 2019.51.1 |