EXHIBITION OVERVIEW
Joy is transformative. It vibrates with generative possibility in an emergent and collective capacity to reimagine dominant structures and reclaim power. Play is nourishment. It is a vital and self-affirming expression of a community’s spirit. Together, joy and play are an antidote, a space of resistance, a refusal to break. They make space for one to revel in self-affirmation, kinship, and love.
This exhibition and full-color scholarly catalogue offer viewers access to an intergenerational visual conversation between the sculptures and installations of Miguel Luciano and the photographs of El Barrio in the 1960s-1970s by Hiram Maristany celebrating Puerto Rican culture while advocating self-determination, reclaiming joy and play as forms of power and resistance.
Programming: Play and Resistance in El Barrio: a Conversation between Miguel Luciano and Hiram Maristany
In the spring of 2021, BUAM hosted a Zoom conversation between Hiram Maristany and Miguel Luciano, moderated by Claire Kovacs. Watch it via YouTube.
PROGRAMMING: Pimp My Piragua
Pimp My Piragua is a tricked-out customization of the humble pushcart from which piraguas, or Puerto Rican shaved ice, are served on the island and in locations with large Caribbean populations, such as New York City. Building on this inspiration and that of Nuyorican street culture, Luciano developed a tricycle-pushcart featuring flat screen video monitors, LED lights, and a high-powered sound system, while maintaining full functionality.
During a campus-based performance during Spring Fling, Luciano activated Pimp my Piragua, and visitors had the opportunity to meet the artist and experience his mobile art project.
EXHIBITION MATERIALS
Exhibition poster (designed by Alessandro Segalini + Gökhan Ersan)
Introductory text (designed by Gökhan Ersan)
Young Lords origins text (designed by Gökhan Ersan)
Object labels (designed by Ann Ordiway)
Exhibition catalog (designed by Alessandro Segalini)