What Makes Us Who We Are:
A Celebration of Latinx Artists
September 15 through October 8
Decatur Arts Alliance Gallery inside the Decatur Visitors Center,
113 Clairemont Ave., Decatur
Placita Latina is partnering with the Decatur Artists Alliance to launch an emerging Latinx artist showcase during Hispanic Heritage Month. “What Make Us Who We Are: Celebrating Latinx Artists” highlights the work of six Latinx artists from different backgrounds and experiences; each exploring the question; “What makes us who we are?”
Through their diverse works – photography, painting and sculpture – these artists present a wide variety of styles. Each brings their understanding of being Latinx into their work, and each plays an important role in our American story.
Artists Reception • Oct. 8 • 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Placita Latina will close its month-long celebration with the artists’ reception of the exhibition on October 8. The reception will be held mostly outside with opportunities to go inside the gallery to view the artwork. Hear artists share inspirational stories. In addition to their short talks, the evening will also include Latinx-inspired dance music by DJ Esme of La Choloteca as well as Latin American wine and beer and delicious quesadillas from Estela’s Cocina.
The Artists
Yehimi Cambrón
Yehimi Cambrón is a DACAmented artist, activist, public speaker, and entrepreneur born in a small town in Michoacán, México. She became undocumented at seven years old, when she immigrated to Atlanta. Cambrón’s work elevates the stories of immigrants, celebrates their humanity, with a special focus on Undocumented Americans. She has painted landmark murals in Atlanta, unapologetically asserting the presence of immigrants, depicting the diversity, and complexity of their stories, and giving them the public, monumental celebration they deserve.
Merging Murals and Activism
Cambrón first learned to merge art and activism through her murals, beginning with Education is Liberation Monarch for Living Walls in 2017. In 2019, she created Monuments: We Carry the Dreams and Freedom Fighters for Off the Wall: Atlanta’s Civil Rights and Social Justice Journey, a project created for Super Bowl LIII. Later that year, she painted Monuments: Our Immigrant Mothers in the city of Decatur for Living Walls, which was selected as the Best Mural in Atlanta by Creative Loafing. In 2020, Cambrón painted We Give Each Other the World, co-funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the city of Hapeville. She then painted Monuments: Atlanta’s Immigrants, a mural which is now a part of The Art Collection at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Although initially known for her murals, Cambrón’s Family Portrait series has been shown in Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. This work was also exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia. Cambrón’s first installation piece, De Aquí y de Allá, was also shown at her alma mater, Agnes Scott College’s Dalton Gallery.
Current Work
She is currently partnering with El Refugio to shed light on the stories of those harmed by the for-profit Stewart Detention Center, in Lumpkin, Georgia. The project will advocate for the closing of immigration detention centers in Georgia.
Awards
The Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce named Cambrón among the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia for 2018, 2019, and 2020 and 2021. In 2020, she was selected as one of Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 40 Under Forty and one of Atlanta Magazine’s Atlanta 500. In 2019, the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta selected Cambrón as the recipient of the “Distinguished Mexicans” award and silver medal from the Institute of Mexicans Abroad. Her art/activism has been featured by USA Today, The NY Times, Sports Illustrated, NFL Network, ESPN México, Jezebel Magazine, the Saporta Report, Atlanta Magazine, CNN, CNN en Español and Univisión, among many others.
Exhibition Artwork
This self-portrait is a component of De Aquí y de Allá, Yehimi’s first-ever installation piece. The painting navigates the duality of fighting rejection from the country she calls home and holding on to memories of the home she left behind. Yehimi chose to depict her present self with a brush in hand, because being an artist has allowed her to assert her presence and humanity as an undocumented person in America. The work was originally displayed at Agnes Scott College’s Dalton Gallery for the “Searching for Home” exhibition. The piece is not for sale, but Yehimi’s prints and other merchandise are available for sale at the exhibit.
Josephine Figueroa
Josephine Figueroa is a Peruvian American lens-based multimedia artist. Her work relates vulnerable complex identity with a critical view on popular culture. Through diverse artistic avenues, she has drawn attention to Latinx narratives in the South, specifically the intersection of political identity with pop culture.
As an artist she’s interested in producing socially responsible community engagement projects that encourage citywide conversations and catalysts for collective action. Josephine has more than 10 years of experience working with local art and social justice movements, believing that art can be used to manifest what is possible for the changing landscape and future of the city of Atlanta. Her creative voice captures the delicate space between class division and the cultural power of diasporic hybridity.
Co-Founder of La Choloteca
As co-founder and featured DJ for La Choloteca, a Latinx dance party in Atlanta, she has drawn attention to Latinx narratives in the South. This “party with a mission” was created as a safe and inclusive space for all identities who want to jam out to Latin tracks.
“We grew up partying and dancing,” said Josephine. “For us, that is what family meant, and those were some of the first experiences of joy and connectedness that we had with our culture.” Figueroa adds; “And it’s chill … We are trying to make sure everyone is respected, and everyone knows that this is a safe space for all sorts of people.”
Inclusion and Unity
Josephine’s philosophy of inclusion and unity is a thread throughout her art, in all its forms. As she puts it: “In the wake of change, in the wake of fear, we are forced to unite. Latin America is no stranger to la lucha, to fight is to breathe. The lungs of our people have given us strength in powerful verses. Our voices, together, all making noise for humanity and sending loud messages of justice.”
Anaitté Vaccaro
Anaitté Vaccaro is an international-award-winning digital scenographer, born and raised in Puerto Rico. Her mother is from Puerto Rico, her father is from Guatemala. Her work has been exhibited around the world.
As a Puerto Rican, Anaitté is a US citizen. As such, she joined the hundreds of thousands who comprise the Puerto Rican Diaspora; the second-largest population of Hispanic origin living in the United States.
After completing a Bachelor of Arts from Escuela de Artes Plásticas in Old San Juan,Anaitté moved to Madrid, Spain, for a year. After her return to Puerto Rico, she decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design. Though she has lived in Georgia since her time at school, she will always think of Puerto Rico as home.
Vaccaro’s father was a popular singer and actor in Puerto Rico. His experience undeniably forged the passion in Anaitté that has guided her career: digital scenography. She was inspired by Richard Wagner’s “Scenography,” or“Gesamtkunstwerk,” meaning “total work of art.” Digital scenography is the creation and design of a total work of art via the integration of technology.
For more than 20 years, Vaccoro has been applying this technique to a wide array of fields. From her dimensional artwork and sculpture, to installations, architainment, live production, performance, new and interactive media, she’s innovative in all things visual. She is also adept in visual effects for film and television, motion graphics, and animation.
Perspectivas
Miguel Martinez and Hector Amador have formed the creative collective, “Perspectivas” for this exhibition. The name comes from the shared and contrasting perspectives that both men have cultivated through their rich life experiences. Their friendship is reflected in their creative partnership and they are excited to share their perspectives with their collective community.
Hector Amador
Hector is the owner of AmadorPhoto and serves as the official photographer for the city of Decatur and is on the board of the Decatur Arts Alliance. Hector’s photos have appeared in The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Rolling Stone and QRO magazines.
Hector has a wide variety of interests, all reflected in his photography. He shoots everything from top-tier bands to everyday scenes from his favorite cities. His natural curiosity is reflected in an unerring eye for imagery.
An immigrant from Mexico City, he is passionate about his community and social justice. He has lived in Decatur for almost 20 years. His struggle to find his way in a new world, since he came to the U.S. as an 18-year-old, has also found its way into his work and his philosophy. As he puts it: “in a way, I’ve been through a lot, and so have many immigrants. Most of us come here with nothing and we are resilient. We climbed a mountain when we came to this country and we can climb it to help others.”
He goes on to explain the importance of different voices and cultures in our communities: “Diversity is the key to the success of this country. I know who I am, and social justice is important to me – for me and for my beautiful daughters.”
Miguel Martinez
Miguel is a freelance multimedia photographer based in Atlanta with more than 15 years of experience. He has worked with multiple publications in English and Spanish. Martinez has been a Decatur Resident since 2018. He is an Emmy award-winning photo/video journalist, formerly with Mundo Hispanico and the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.
Miguel is originally from Guadalajara, Mexico and is active in the metro area Latinx community. He has a passion for social justice and has raised his two daughters with an understanding of their father’s Mexican heritage. He puts it this way: “As part of a mixed-race family, diversity is something very important to me, and I feel it is very important to Decatur as well. That’s why I’m happy to live here! ”
Miguel has put his talent to use in this capacity, by sharing powerful stories of the Latinx community in Georgia through his photojournalism. His excellent creative instincts have led him to create compelling images that tell the stories of people, and the places they call home.
Cristina Montesinos
Cristina Montesinos is an abstract painter who seeks to capture the mystery and healing power of the natural world. She paints mindfully, following the marks and colors where they lead her. Her paintings unfold on their own as she explores the hidden, abstract features of nature.
Growing up in lush, tropical Costa Rica, Montesinos has a deep connection to the outdoors, and this passion for nature is her inspiration. She uses thoughtful expressions to depict the interplay of color, texture, shapes and light. Drawing on a deep and wide family artistic tradition, her work builds on a long graphic design career.
A Family of Artists
Born into a family of artists, Montesinos has been surrounded by art her entire life. The Montesinos family of painters began with her grandfather, Julio Montesinos Malo, from Cuenca, Ecuador. At an early age he spearheaded a 1930s Ecuadorian underground political magazine, featuring many of his own caricatures and stories. Julio Montesinos Malo passed on his love of art and painting to his family. Cristina recalls large family gatherings in Ecuador with energetic art sessions, at a table full of art supplies. She fondly remembers the loud, large family dinners ending in laughter, with the artists drawing caricatures of each other on dinner napkins. Today two of her uncles work as painters in Ecuador, as do her sister, father, aunts and cousins.
Current Work
Montesino’s work has shown in local exhibitions, and in 2020-2021, she was featured along Atlanta’s highways and byways on hundreds of billboards and in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport as part of a juried billboard exhibition. Montesinos’s work is now available at Wild Oats & Billy Goats in Decatur.
