Necessary Fictions
Organized by John Ribó and Mario Marzan and featuring artists María DeGuzmán, Josué Pellot, Mario Marzan, Susy Bielak, Izel Vargas, and Francis Marquez.
In the first decade of the 21st century the U.S. Southeast was the region with the fastest growing Latina/o population, a phenomenon that has rapidly transformed the cultural landscape of states like North Carolina.
Latina/o, like many umbrella terms of identification, is a fiction that simultaneously obscures and highlights difference.
Amongst Latinas/os identification according to national origin often prevails because "Latina/o" brings together individuals with different histories, from different countries, who speak different languages and dialects, and who represent diverse cultural and ethnic heritages.
Yet in relation to the larger U.S. population, the term is often deployed in order to allow diverse peoples who identify as Latina/o the opportunity to look beyond their particular differences, to organize around common causes, and to celebrate shared experiences and cultural affinities.
Simply put, to be Latina/o means different things to different people.
Necessary Fictions explores negotiations of what Latina/o can mean by bringing together the work of six artists from North Carolina and beyond, each with their own particular reflections on Latinidad expressed in painting, mixed media, sculpture, video installation, photography, and performance.
