the hidden memory of objects by danielle mages amato

Where: San Diego Art Institute’s Project Space, 324 Horton Plaza, downtown San Diego.Megan Brown’s brother, Tyler, is dead, but the cops are killing him all over again. San Diego Art Institute presents “Noé Olivas’ la/el/ellas/ellos/usted quinceañera/o” “By combining two things that you don’t usually see together, I hope they blossom into something beautiful.” Similarly, Olivas strives to combine divergent ideas in his art, like tricking out his father’s wheelbarrow with lowrider parts. “It’s street language, and some people don’t see it as prestigious, but it’s the most beautiful thing,” he says. “They have more faith in me now,” he says.įamiliar to anyone living on the border, that special mash-up of Spanish and English is a thing of beauty in Olivas’ eyes. But then Olivas sold his first painting during a show at Voz Alta gallery.

When he chose to major in art, his dad tried to nudge him toward architecture instead. “After high school, I wanted to learn how to do the paint jobs and the bondo and all that,” says Olivas, who only pursued higher education at his parents’ urging.

Before he was an artist, he wanted to be a mechanic. “My mentor kept telling me not to forget about voice and heart in my work, and the way she sings on that album is very much about that.”ĩ. “(Angelou) is not the best singer, but the way she captures the audience is so powerful,” he says. Olivas says bell hooks’ “The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity and Love” and Maya Angelou’s album “Miss Calypso” inform his latest work. He counts Maya Angelou and bell hooks among his influences. Though quinceañera dresses are often spangly confections made from pink or turquoise taffeta, Olivas contracted a Tijuana tailor to make his dress from burlap, a nod to the sacks his father used to collect yard waste.īecause any self-respecting quince requires plenty of sparkle.Ĩ. … but Olivas used an unconventional material for his quinceañera dress. “It made me wonder, why didn’t I have a quince? When is my entry into manhood? … I never understood my sister’s struggles, and now I’m putting myself into that position.”Ħ. “It’s a transition from childhood to womanhood, but it’s also forcing girls to take on this role of ‘you’re cleaning, you have kids and you’re a wife’ at a young age,” Olivas says.

Olivas’ sister didn’t have one because their mother didn’t like the message it sent.

In some Mexican households, a girl’s 15th birthday is a huge rite of passage requiring an elaborate dress and an even more elaborate (and expensive) party. His latest show is all about quinceañeras. The Roustabouts during their photo shoot- Will Cooper, Phil Johnson and Ruff Yeager - launch their venture April 15 with Cooper’s new play “Margin of Error” at the Lyceum Theatre (home of San Diego Rep) downtown.

The hidden memory of objects by danielle mages amato