Artis & Activism Oct/17/2017
Beautiful Trouble
Sabina Arias
As an artist,
Beautiful Trouble is a very helpful tool to think about strategies, principles
and tactics when addressing divergent perspectives or problematic realities/issues.
I will discuss some of the ideas from Beautiful Trouble used in theater and in
the visual arts, since that is my area of study.
1. Use
the Power of Ritual, Make the Invisible Visible
Using the power
of rituals as a form of protest is a very powerful tool of protest. The intrinsic
rhythm in rituals is very captivating Rituals do not have to be tied to a
religion, it is the very rhythm and solemn, performative quality that can profoundly move an audience. The sacred
quality of a ritual urges you to connect with a deeper part of your mind,
rituals exceed logic or rationality and are accessible to anybody.
Performance art is
itself ritualistic, yet visual art can also have ritualistic qualities
manifested through form and symbol. This reminds me of a print made by Kiki
Smith that I found somewhere. I think Bora Lee showed it to me, and the rhythm
of its composition fascinated me. I started to think about the 43 students from
Ayotzinapa, Guerrero, that were kidnapped by Mexican militia in September 2014,
and never returned to their homes. Although this piece itself had nothing to do
with the missing students, for me it was so striking that it brought me back to
it, and it has a ritualistic quality in its rhythmic patterns and profound symbols.
Then I compared it with 2 anonymous art pieces found in the streets
of my hometown (San Miguel de Allende) during Day of the Dead. These 2 pieces
do actually constitute part of the rituals of day of the dead that involve hand
crafting, and art-making for the altar. These public art pieces have a heavy
ritualistic influence. Through the narratives of both of these pieces, they are
bringing into the light the injustices suffered by the families of the missing
students and the corruption in the Mexican justice system (or lack of). Here I
put the three pieces together so you can compare the elements mentioned above:
*Print by Kiki Smith
* Day of the Dead public artworks in San Miguel de Allende honoring the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa
* Day of the Dead public artworks in San Miguel de Allende honoring the 43 missing students of Ayotzinapa
2. Think
Narratively, Lead with Sympathetic Leaders, Make the Invisible Visible
The structure of power is always tied to a narrative. Thinking
narratively is an effective tool to understand this relationship and how we can
contest it. People’s response to a story
is more dependent on whether or not it is meaningful to them rather than whether
or not it is true. In the sketch of “La Conquista Segun la Malinche” (The
Conquest according to La Malinche) by
the actor/activist Jesusa Rodriguez, Jesusa Rodriguez touches upon both Spanish
colonialism, the fall of Tenochtitlan, and the structures of American
Imperialism both culturaly and economically still present in Mexican society. Its
important to present strong protagonists; audiences will care much more about
injustice if they can relate to the people who are being affected. In this sketch, Jesusa is also playing
with the role of the narrator because she uses the historical character or La
Malinche and blends it with a modern day radio announcer. This is such a
powerful action on Jesusa’s part, considering that La Malinche was the
mistress, slave, advisor, interpretor, and intermediary for Spanish conquistador
Hernan Cortes and in modern Mexico she is seen as a traitor. Through reframing this character, Jesusa is
taking a very feminist stance. Making the Invisible Visible: An example of this
would be Jesusa drawing a line/linking Imperial and Colonial powers to our
current political chaos, making the invisible visible: we still are dominated
by Colonial/Imperial powers. This sketch is very relevant to all of Mexican
society, because it is talking about such a delicate topic; the Conquest of
Mexico is a story that we’ve heard over and over again, but the way that Jesusa
performs it is simply brilliant and uses humor to incite us to question ourselves and
our society and to realize how Western structures of power continuously cast aside a culture and a history that is inconvenient for them.
Jesusa Rodriguez in sketch of La Conquista Segun La Malinche
Jesusa Rodriguez in sketch of La Conquista Segun La Malinche
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