"Like the Leaders of Yesterday: Commitment, Action, Discipline"

A highlight of the festival, was a visual arts group exhibition of Chicano and Latino artists based in California and Tijuana. The show, entitled "Soy Y Que: New Chicano/Latino Representations," presented the work of artists articulating contemporary representation of Latino and Chicano art and identity through portraiture as a genre and as metaphor. Other featured artists included Jamex and Einar de la Torre, Shizu Saldamando (my sistah!), Jose Alvaro-Perdices, and Tania Candiani.

ARTIST STATEMENT - TALLER TUPAC AMARU:

"Our medium is the political poster, pieces that reflect national and international grassroots struggles, and tell a history of social justice through graphics. There has never been a movement for social change without the arts - posters in particular - being central to that movement. We are inspired and informed by the stylistic and radical impact of Chicano painters and printmakers of the 1960's. Like these old-school artistas, our work reflects a growing national consciousness that speaks to the contemporary urban barrios, rebelling against racism, classism, sexism and corporate irresponsibility. We employ the silkscreen format because it is a medium that is inexpensive and accessible, a medium that has been used by various movements in history to make radical posters."

"We believe that it is our role as community artists is to define and create a revolutionary culture. To undermine the deeply-embedded sickness of this country that has a terrible history of crushing communities of color. With our art and our voice, we can build something transformative. We are in a time when our country, the strongest empire on the planet, is acting completely against the interests of the global community. Now more than ever, our protest culture is being coopted by the mainstream corporate media. Counter-culture is in style! But the requirement of study, political debate and community empowerment is absent. Power has never been conceded to scommunities of color, it has been fought for. As artists of the people, we have a responsibility to expose our community's reality and to tell the history of our people."

-Favianna Rodriguez & Jesus Barraza

SOBRE LA OBRA

"Nuestro colectivo utiliza el formato del cartel politico para crear una obra que narra movimientos sociales. En la historia, el arte siempre a jugado un papel importante en los moviemientos sociales. En los años de los 60's, los pintores y serígrafos Chicanos crearon un estilo radical e inovador de expressión artistica. Estas técnicas y estilos han influido mucho nuestro trabajo, y como los maestros de aquella epoca, nuestra obra refleja los barrios pobres que pelean en contra del racismo, el clasismo, el seximo y la irresponsabilidad. Utilizamos el formato de la serigrafía justamente porque esta tiene bajo costo y es facil de aprender, ademas de ser una técnica que ha sido empleada para los carteles politicos."

"Nuestro deber como artistas del barrio es crear y definir una cultura revolucionaria, para sobrepasar las injusticias que este pais a creado en nuestros barrios. Con nuestra obra artistica y con nuestra vóz, podemos contruir algo capaz de transformar nuestra realidad. Vivimos en una epoca en la cual los Estados Unidos es la potencia mundial del mundo, en una epoca cuando este pais esta trabajando en contra de los intereses de la gente del mundo. La television y la media corporativa esta robando nuestra cultura de protesta como si fuera una moda. Pero el deber del estudio, del debate politico, y de la acción comunitaria esta ausente. Debemos recordar que el poder nunca sera regalado, debemos de pelear por el. Como artistas del pueblo, tenemos la responsabilidad de contar las realidades de nuestra comunidad y de relatar nuestra historia en este pais."

-Favianna Rodriguez & Jesus Barraza