Artistic Decoloniality as Aesthetic Praxis: Making and Transforming Imaginations and Communities in NYC
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Published:December 2024
Wilson Valentín-Escobar, 2024. "Artistic Decoloniality as Aesthetic Praxis: Making and Transforming Imaginations and Communities in NYC", Nuyorican & Diasporican Visual Art: A Critical Anthology, Arlene Dávila, Yasmin Ramirez
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This chapter delves into the artivist interventions of Puerto Rican artists Adál Maldonado and Sandra María Esteves at the New Rican Village (NRV) cultural arts and education center on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Focused on challenging social alienation and mainstream art institutions, these artists created Bodega Surrealism, an avant-garde approach to art that embraced their working-class identities and harnessed creativity for social change. The NRV, founded in 1976, served as a haven for Latina/o/x artists seeking alternative spaces to showcase their subjectivity and combat neglect. Adál and Esteves used visual arts, poetry, and more to create a decolonial world within their marginalized communities, challenging norms and fostering new possibilities. This exploration of Bodega Surrealism reveals how art can empower, decolonize, and transform, making visible the often overlooked realities and aspirations of the Puerto Rican and Latina/o/x communities.
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