Note: Yvette Mayorga is a multidisciplinary artist in Chicago, and her essay is in the form of this painting. It’s made from acrylic, nails, collage, rhinestones and more. The painting is currently on view at El Museo del Barrio in New York City. Mayorga wrote the following text to go with it.
A flamed tricked-out car drives in a procession for my primo of the other pandemic (ICE).
A table filled with sugar sculptures, cake toppers of lovers a la fête galante, 100% chicken, Rococo plates, knives that cut, burner phones, fries, burgers, cherries, fruit peeled like my prima’s nails, bedazzled caps, chains that restrain, tooth brushes, tuna cans, a hand mirror to see your place, lip stains of past joys.
Low battery of an exhausted search of COVID-19, extended hands of labor that picked your food, with gloves glossed with acrylics, asking you to not look at what you desire.
About the author: Yvette Mayorga is a multidisciplinary artist based in Chicago. Her work interrogates the broad effects of militarization within and beyond the U.S./Mexico border and intervenes in the colonial legacies of art history. She fuses confectionary labor with found images to explore the meaning of belonging.
Mariah Woelfel produced this story for audio. Follow her @MariahWoelfel. Jessica Martinaitis and Mary Hall produced this for digital. Follow them @jess_morgan and @hall_marye.
