UNWILLINGLY SAZONADO Y MORADO

February 17 – February 20
Curator: Leigh Peterson
Artists: Les-lie López and Camila Rodriguez Jimenez

Les-lie López and Camila Rodriguez Jimenez operate from a paradoxical position, as they find themselves both marginalized and thrust into the spotlight. Historically, the voices of the Mexican and Colombian communities to which they belong did not have priority in the United States. But due to shifting cultural values in recent years, interest in the experiences and perspectives of these groups is growing. As artists, Les-lie and Camila feel pressure to fulfill the role of spokesperson for their cultures. However, they do not desire to be pigeonholed by their backgrounds. ‘Unwillingly Sazonado y Morado’ explores the challenges of using art to bring under-represented peoples and issues onto the mainstage of culture, while fighting for recognition of one’s own independent, artistic voice.

In Luchando, Les-lie creates an image of their parents as wrestlers. Wearing celebratory attire and luchador masks, an emblem of Mexican wrestling, they stand within one another’s embrace as they look into the distance. These features convey a message about fighting for the future, as they are two people who agreed to support one another through life’s ups and downs. Les-lie infuses the luchador mask with a unique message about love and willingness to fight for the future of the people and things one cares about. As a child of Mexican immigrants, Les-lie is aware of how their parents’ life experiences impact the perception people have of them. Through this piece, they ask the viewer to recognize the role that parents play in predetermining their children’s identity. 

Camila cares deeply about social and environmental issues, and she uses Colombian Cumbia Skirts to emphasize the connectivity between these two things. 

With her back to the camera, Camila sits in the middle of a multitiered skirt that flares out around her in a mass of vibrant color and texture. Traditional Colombian crafts, arts and costumes influence Camila, and that comes through in this artwork. Although the skirt is composed of various parts, the circular form reminds the viewer that everything is connected and equally important to the garment’s functionality. If one section is removed, the piece will fall apart. This fragility speaks not only to society, but also to the tenuous balance between humans and the environment, and how if people continue to take carelessly from nature, they risk causing irreparable damage to the wider world.

Les-lie and Camila draw attention to the people who live between mainstream culture in America and the communities on its fringes. Through the fusion of the English and Spanish languages in the title, ‘Unwillingly Sazonado y Morado,’ Les-lie and Camila highlight the tension between needing to communicate with an English-speaking, American audience and wanting to use the Spanish language that is prevalent in their countries and cultures and that ties them to their native roots. Ultimately, these artists draw attention to political, environmental and identity issues, but the style and method in which they explore these subjects is highly personal and entirely their own. 

Download the catalog entry for UNWILLINGLY SAZONADO Y MORADO [PDF]