AMIGXS Radicales
AMIGXS Radicales
Curated by Sofía Reeser del Rio
With Participating Artists & Collectives: Camilo Godoy, Las Mariquitas, Carlos Martiel, Jorge Sánchez, Salsa Soul Sisters, and The Antonio Archives.
Opening Reception with Artists: Saturday, July 1, 2023, 4-7 PM
On View through June 24 – July 28, 2023, Open weekly from 11 AM-7 PM
Gallery: LES Gallery, 107 Suffolk Stree, New York, NY, 10002
RSVP through this link for the Opening Reception
Tu presencia / se confirma / en nosotros
Your presence / is confirmed / in us
- Feliciano Centurión, c. 1994
The Clemente is pleased to present AMIGXS Radicales
AMIGXS explores Latinx Cuir/Queer forms of support and collaborative work in contemporary art. This is the first in a series of collaborative and experimental projects investigating Cuir/Queer diasporic friendships between artists, collectives, and their archives. For this iteration, ‘Radicales’, works are presented by Camilo Godoy, Las Mariquitas, Carlos Martiel, Jorge Sánchez, Salsa Soul Sisters, and The Antonio Archives.
The title of this exhibition makes reference to the self-published zines, AMIGXS, made by Camilo Godoy, one of the participating artists in the show. Since 2017, Godoy has photographed friends and lovers under a gender-neutral alternative to the Spanish word for "friends." The inaugural issue of AMIGXS, No. 1, featured a billboard at the Southeast corner of Ninth Avenue and 37th Street.
For this exhibition, Godoy’s billboard is installed in situ alongside works by artists and friends, Carlos Martiel and Jorge Sánchez, who were in the original billboard image with Godoy in 2017. Their friendship, companionship, and allyship span over a decade, and this marks the first time all three artists show work together. Artists consistently sustain and uplift one another, even when they are not directly collaborating. Cuir/Queer friendships, particularly within Latinx and Black diasporas, continually reimagine new forms of family, community-building, and activism. Within the exhibition, radical friendship is approached as a representation of these bonds that defy political and cultural normativity.
Included in the exhibition are also a series of photographs by the dynamic duo Antonio Lopez and Juan Ramos, whose collaboration and friendship spanned over three decades (1961-1987) until their separate untimely death from AIDS-related complications. Their photographs, loaned from The Antonio Archives, are examples of the legacy and historical importance of forms of queer kinship that imagine, create, and project other possibilities of belonging. Carlos Martiel's performance Muerte Rosa/Pink Death specifically sheds light on the multifaceted ways in which BIPOC communities in the United States and the Global South are the most impacted by the ongoing HIV/AIDS pandemic. In the Polaroid series, Ojos de loca, Jorge Sánchez plays with the use of the word ‘loca,’ which in Spanish is often used as a derogatory term to describe women as overly emotional and mentally unstable as well as an insult against queers. By enlarging the prints Sánchez plays with the subversion of the power dynamics between the gazer and the gazed, challenging the traditional notions of objectification and voyeurism and inviting viewers to critically examine their own assumptions and biases.
The exhibition also showcases the contributions of collectives that similarly foster safe spaces for self-expression and acceptance. Works are presented by Las Mariquitas, a newly formed queer and trans salsa collective that boldly inserts itself into a traditionally patriarchal genre of music. Their work within the salsa genre represents a significant step towards reclaiming and reshaping the narrative within a historically male-dominated space. Additionally, the exhibition features ephemera from the Salsa Soul Sisters, the first organization dedicated to lesbians of color in the country, which operated from 1974 to 1993. The organization played a pivotal role in creating spaces of support and empowerment for lesbians of color. Composed primarily of African American lesbians and was inclusive of Latinas, Asian American, and indigenous women, who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or same-gender-loving. By embracing a diverse range of musical traditions, lesbians of color, queer, and trans individuals not only celebrate their unique identities but also challenge societal norms, ultimately paving the way for greater visibility, acceptance, and societal transformation.
Together these artists demonstrate the importance of collectivity and queer kinship in creating art. Their works invite us to challenge conventional narratives of friendship and belonging and underscore the importance of fostering inclusive spaces and amplifying a plurality of voices from different artistic communities.
AMIGXS Radicales is Curated by Sofía Reeser del Rio, Senior Program Manager at The Clemente Center, with Clarissa Passarinho and Jorge Sánchez
IG: @camilogodoy, @martielcarlos, @jsanch04, @the_antonio_archives, @mariquitas.band, #SalsaSoulSisters, @lesbianheritagearchive, @sofishau, @theclemente
Additional programming:
June 30: Concert by Las Mariquitas, 6-10PM
July 1st: Artists’ Meet & Greet with Gallery Readings
Press: