LA RAZA COSMICA 20XX
LA RAZA COSMICA 20XX
Michael Menchaca, LA RAZA COSMICA 20XX
A suite of 16 screenprints
21” x 22 1/2”
Edition of 10 with 2 Artist’s Proofs and 2 Printer’s Proofs
Printed by Julia Samuels at Overpass Projects
“La Raza Cósmica 20XX presents a mythical re-interpretation of Jose Vasconcelos’ mestizo identity theory, La Raza Cósmica, using animal stand-ins to depict the intermixing between Latinx bodies. In his theory, Vasconcelos states that the Latin American intermixing of European DNA with Amerindian, Asian, and African DNA, created an ethnical fusion, a mestizáje, which he characterizes as the cosmic race. Pairing this theory with the Spanish Casta paintings, popular in 18th century Spanish colonial Mexico and instrumental in constructing racial identity through a visual index, I envision a new set of Castas where Silicon Valley technology has been integrated to intercommunicate between Latinx families.” - Michael Menchaca
Artist designed frames are wrapped with screen prints depicting various iterations of social media and tech company logos. This patterning highlights the artists’ concentration and concerns around our relationships with technology, the privacy and security of our personal data and surveillance capitalism as 21st Century’s newest form of human exploitation.
