Boulder Creative Collective exhibit honors kitschy Chicanx culture with rasquachismo-inspired art

Mar. 10—Throughout her career, Longmont artist Grace Gutierrez has woven iconic cultural images within her layered work that always proves to be rich with color, texture and substance.

Her latest solo exhibition "Pertenecer," on display at Boulder Creative Collective through April 2, pays homage to her lineage, her community, Chicanx identity and a quirky Mexican aesthetic known as rasquachismo — which consists of fully embracing and owning a style sometimes considered lower or garish.

For last week's show opening, Gutierrez constructed an outside vignette of lawn chairs on bright green AstroTurf, a few beer cans lingered among pink plastic flamingos. The installation — complete with iconic lawn décor — conjured images of a revelrous celebration, much like the ones Gutierrez took part in growing up.

"Something I always loved about my family was going to parties," Gutierrez said. "We were always the ones with all the cars parked around the house, all the kids running around, the loud music, the ones having the most fun, so I wanted to try to have an indicator that something fun is happening inside."

On the gallery's interior, visitors will find an array of work in various mediums — including show-stopping paintings of Gutierrez's friends and family.

While the intricately painted portraiture of those close to her stand out — some often set against warm blooms — one eye-catching piece comes in the form of a self-portrait.

Gutierrez used a textured kiddie pool as her canvas, and already-established words within the unlikely material add greater to her message about heritage.

"The 'Made in Mexico' label is the most serendipitous and wonderful coincidence," Gutierrez said.

Within the vast collection are thoughtful and vibrant tributes to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexican wrestling luchador masks, Mexican jaguars and gold chains that one could easily picture as the handlebars of a customized lowrider bike.

From a mannequin-like figure whose upper body is prickly cacti to bright vessels, subtle nods to the terrain of her ancestral motherland can be seen throughout the eclectic display.

"Pertenecer" is alive with bold shades, nostalgic symbols and warm depictions of Gutierrez's loved ones. It's a varied grouping that is both funky and fierce.

In addition to crafting detailed solo shows, Gutierrez has been active in art communities throughout Colorado. From designing large-scale murals for Street Wise Boulder and Fort Collins Mural Festival to curating a "Dia de Los Muertos" group exhibition at Firehouse Art Center, her reach and influence stretches far beyond her studio.

We caught up with the mixed-race creative — who is Chicanx/Native American and French/Irish — to find out more about her latest work, what folks can expect from her in-person artist talk later this month and how crafting pieces for this show opened up a new portal of artistic exploration.

Kalene McCort: What inspired this collection?

Grace Gutierrez: "Pertenecer," meaning "to belong" in Spanish, is a celebration of being an individual of mixed-race identity and a pursuit of finding where I belong. It focuses on the feelings of inadequacy someone of Mexican-American descent often experiences, feeling like they are not Mexican "enough," but enduring that discomfort as a form of resistance. The exhibition is greatly inspired by rasquachismo, an art movement where Mexican-American artists took ownership of the once derogatory term, "Rasquache," which described a certain "look" of the Mexican lower class; cheap belongings, run-down homes and a tacky aesthetic.

What made the Rasquache movement so amazing was the way tacky items and kitschy materials became part of the artworks, so artists were able to show their pride and resilience from growing up with less. I see their work as a way of telling the art world they belonged, so I have tried to emulate these same methods of creating to show pride in my culture.

As someone who predominantly paints portraits, I have chosen to paint a group of friends and family members who have also questioned where they belong to show a certain solidarity in the collection. I use materials that confront stereotypes and disparities between white and Mexican-American communities, often forcing us to question where things belong and how we receive them. The result, "Pertenecer" is a place for us to unapologetically take up space and feel belonging in our community.

The work has been created as part of a one-year residency with the Boulder Creative Collective.

KM: Love some of the recent images I've seen on your Instagram. Would you say with this show you've incorporated more mixed-media works and what are some of your favorite pieces?

GG: Yes, it definitely includes more mixed-media work because of the inspiration I am pulling from Rasquache artists and the need to incorporate the tacky material. Many of the paintings and sculptures in the show are made from found or second-hand material, chosen to pay homage to my Chicanx heritage and family. I have painted a few paintings on oilcloth tablecloths, which remind me of the plastic coverings on the food tables at family gatherings growing up.

I've also used things like Modelo beer cans collected from parties, pink lawn flamingos which remind me of my grandmother, swimming pools, plastic chains and cheap aluminum lawn chairs which serve as artifacts of my culture and help tell our story.

It has been very interesting working with some of these materials. I never would have thought I'd be painting a self-portrait of myself on the bottom of a plastic kiddie pool and hanging it in a gallery, but here I am. I personally love the pool painting "Mi piscinia" and I also love the painting "Adrian and the flamingos," which is adorned with plastic gold chains and pink lawn flamingos. This residency has pushed me to really try new things and I am grateful to have had the support and encouragement to be so playful and experimental.

KM: What can attendees expect from your artist talk on March 30, from 6-8 p.m., at Boulder Creative Collective?

GG: The artist talk will be an introduction of myself and my story. I will get into "Pertenecer" and the BCC residency as well. However, I will be shifting the talk into more of a lecture on some of the identifiers of my culture Hispanic, Latinx/Latino, Chicano etc., and the origins/histories of the words. I have found that it has been a very common question from folks during my time at the BCC. Someone will use one of the terms and then ask, "is Hispanic the right word?" The city of Boulder's population is about 14% Hispanic, Latinx/Latino, Chicano etc., so I would like to educate the community with some of the history and background on this subject.

KM: What are you hoping visitors take away from your work?

GG: Ultimately, I want "Pertenecer" to be a celebration of my culture and my community. Even though I address my insecurities and the difficulties of feeling like I don't belong, I hope my story is relatable to others who may feel the same way. I don't pretend to know everything there is to know about Chicanx culture, but I will help individuals be heard and accepted in every way I know how. I hope folks leave reflecting on ways they can be more inclusive and supportive to communities of color. This is a community space to share community stories, so I just want to share my story and the experiences of my friends and family in an approachable way.

KM: What can fans expect from you next? Any upcoming shows or projects that should be on our radar?

GG: I don't really have much planned at the moment and I am OK with that. I have been doing a lot with ceramics lately, so I will probably focus on that for a bit. I will keep applying to opportunities throughout Colorado, so we will see what comes of those. I also feel like I need to catch up on things like reading, gardening, hiking and spending time with my family and my dog. These things fuel my creativity and help bring new ideas. The uncertainty is exciting.

Boulder Creative Collective is open Wednesdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays noon-3 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m. from March 12-April 2.