Media Contact: Elizabeth Burke-Dain, 312-369-8695
In celebration of African Heritage Month, the Afro-Cuban artist, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, is exhibiting at Columbia College’s Glass Curtain Gallery. Campos-Pons is internationally known for her stunningly beautiful political artworks that address issues of gender and racial identity. Born in Cuba to a laundress mother and an herbalist father, Campos-Pons art exhibition entitled, Life Has Not Even Begun, takes on the hidden horrors of war and the untold stories of fallen soldiers. With images that convey messages of hope, loss and the surprising discovery of her own mother’s Chinese ancestry, Campos-Pons uses her own experiences to tell a universal story.
In her opening night performance entitled, Wet Feet/Dry Eyes (Pies Mojados/Ojos Secos), Campos-Pons will give a dramatic depiction of the experience of Cubans who arrive on the shores of Florida. They are allowed to enter the country only if they reach dry land; those caught in the water are less fortunate and face deportation. Campos-Pons is a lively and compelling presence who would make a great on-camera interview for African Heritage Month. She is in Chicago from January 26 – 30.
“The combination of strength and vulnerability gives the autobiographical work a powerful authenticity.” ArtForum, October 2008.
WHEN: January 26 – March 6, 2009
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 29, 5-8pm features a performance by the artist
WHERE: Columbia College Chicago’s Glass Curtain Gallery
1104 S. Wabash Avenue, 1st floor
Gallery hours: 9am – 5pm M,T,W,F and 9am -7pm Thurs.
COST: Free and Open to the Public.
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INFO: 312 369 7696 or www.colum.edu/deps
Blog Entry at ArtSeenChicago on Campos-Pons
Artist Description:
Cubans arriving to the shores of Florida are allowed to enter the country only if they reach dry land; those caught in the water are less fortunate and face deportation. North Africans risk open seas to reach European shores as well, at times only dead bodies arrive. Water – the ocean of the south and north seas – is a wall of hope and desperation.
This performance was originally performed at the Tate Modern in October 2007.
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