Visit us at our headquarters in the East Side of Saint Paul, or at our offices in Minneapolis, Willmar, and Austin.
Office hours. Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Saturday-Sunday: Closed - Click here for holiday closure dates
Visit us at our headquarters in the East Side of Saint Paul, or at our offices in Minneapolis, Willmar, and Austin.
Office hours. Monday - Friday: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. Saturday-Sunday: Closed - Click here for holiday closure dates
Part of CLUES 2024 Arts and Culture theme Representing Latinidad focused on local Latine representation, Fictitious explores the concept of the immigrant reclaiming the trope of the cowboy, inquiring into the concept of the “alien” via futuristic outer-space imagery and tattooing the border directly onto the body.
The "Ficticious" exhibition features a collection of photographs where Latine people transmit messages that suggest political, historical, and social justice themes. The characters are part of a fictional world where people are portrayed as heroic manifestations of Latine culture. Images of bridges, canoes, cowboys, and astronauts allow us to imagine the unexpected, inviting conversations about the challenges and empowerment of the Latine community. The provocative selection explores the Latin American experience, blurring the boundaries between reality and fantasy.
According to the artist Xavier Tavera “I’m very interested in the erasure of certain communities”. “The Asian community, the Black community, the Native community. These stories and histories that I’m trying to put out are American stories, and it’s easy for the mainstream community to dismiss them as ‘Mexican and Latin stuff,’ ‘Black stuff,’ as opposed to recognizing them as an actual American story, and that’s very problematic.”
'Ficticious' is a must-see for anyone interested in contemporary art and the exploration of cultural identity.
The exhibition is free, appropriate for all ages, and it runs from June 24 to August 9, with access to the Gallery M-F from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Tavera's work has been exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Soap Factory, the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery at Augustana University, the Staniar Gallery at Washington and Lee University, the Athens Institute for Contemporary Art in Georgia, the Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles, the Galeria del Hospital Maciel in Montevideo, Uruguay, and at ProjekTraum FN at l'atelier Glidden Wozniak in Friedrichshafen, Germany. Tavera received a McKnight Photography Fellowship in 2003 and his work has been recognized with Over Exposure MN Grants.
ABOUT THE ART EXHIBIT
'Ficticious' is a collection of photographs where Latine people transmit messages that suggest political, historical, and social justice themes. The characters are part of a fictional world where people are portrayed as heroic manifestations of Latine culture. Images of bridges, canoes, cowboys, and astronauts allow us to imagine the unexpected, inviting conversations about the challenges and empowerment of the Latine community.
ABOUT CLUES ART AND CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
Our department passionately uplifts the diversity of Latine voices, changes narratives and brings the community together to celebrate our cultural heritage. We offer year-round programming including art exhibitions, cultural events, and art workshops. We have a gallery space, an art room/studio space, and a printmaking room.
CLUES is a nonprofit public charity recognized as tax exempt by the IRS under section 501(c)(3). CLUES tax ID: 41-1386986. Our Donor Privacy Policy can be found here.
