Acrylic goat tongues, the mystery of a moody artistic dick-pic and traditional Hispanic derogatory terms-turned proud label are just a little of what you’ll experience in the Vicki Myhren Gallery’s first art exhibit of the school year, Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A. Having opened on Thursday, Sept. 13, this condensed version of a broader traveling exhibition illustrates the vastly intertwined and complex worlds of the LGBTQ and Chicanx communities of Los Angeles’s past.
Initially, the oddly-specific exhibit engenders a feeling of slight overwhelm. How can one art collection delve into topics such as sexuality, the AIDS epidemic, LGBTQ rights, Chicanx heritage (meaning of Mexican descent—the “x” replaces the respective “o” and “a” endings of masculinity and femininity), political activism and a previously hidden cultural history? Not to mention, this interconnected showcase of over 50 artists’ work stems exclusively from the L.A. area, between the late 1960s and early 1990s.
It’s a lot to digest.
However, this complexity is what makes the exhibit so fascinating and visually stimulating. Combining traditional 2D art in a myriad of mediums along with less conventional pieces, such as photographs of performance art, fashion, postcards and interactive headphones through which you can listen to music and news reports, this collection will leave any viewer feeling inspired and more connected to the visual world around them.
While some pieces highlight a cheeky, celebratory pride to belong to such a community, others emanate a darker, more serious tone, memorializing those who have died of AIDS or exposing the struggles of activism and inequality. The collection also features many pieces from Edmundo “Mundo” Meza, for whom the exhibition was named. As a painter and multi-media artist, Meza’s work and involvement greatly influenced the advancement of the Gay Liberation and Chicano movements.
Beyond the rich colors, alluring textures and sensory detail of the works, the art and their stories stimulate something far deeper than simply an impression on a canvas: they epitomize the meaning of community. Yes, the collection has a lot going on, but this entanglement of history and culture mimics that same craziness of the networks and connections in our own lives. It is this shared experience—the common bond—that the art encapsulates, allowing viewers to link reflections to their own memories, cultures and most of all, each other.
Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A. will remain on display until Dec. 2.
