Postcolonial Hero 2010
Curated by Alejandro De La Fuente
Description
Curated by Alejandro De La Fuente
Alexis Esquivel co-curated Queloides I and received his Masters in Art Education from Instituto Superior Pedagógico Enrique José Varona, Havana. Described by Cuban art critic Omar Pascual Castillo as “a nonconformist, a smart-mouth, an artist of disturbingly critical crudeness,” Esquivel uses painting, installation, performance, and video art to examine the relationship between power and race in society. His work can be divided into four stages: (1) Historical Portraits, (2) Hysterical Puns, (3) Remaking Maps, and (4) Creole Remix and Latest News from the Sugar Mill. This last series, begun in 2003, “explores the contrivances of a tropicalesque culture made for tourists, a pseudo-liberated culture that disguises the neocolonial” and includes works such as Smile you won!“