Presenter(s): Kendra Siebert
Oral Session 1 SW
Although parietal writing – the act of writing on walls – has existed for thousands of years, its contemporary archetype, urban art, emerged much more recently. An umbrella term for the many kinds of art that occupy public spaces – graffiti, murals, stencils, etc. – urban art can be accessed by whoever chooses to look at it, and has roots in the Mexican muralism movement that began in Mexico City and spread to other states like Oaxaca.
Over the course of three years, I have been developing my undergraduate thesis, which looks into the Mexican Revolution and the origins of the Mexican muralism movement, before narrowing in on the function of urban art – specifically in times of unrest. In both 1968 and 2006, two points in Mexico’s recent history that birthed national social movements, urban art emerged as a visual form of testimony when other outlets like public radio became restricted and censored. Today, it continues to take on new forms and meanings, reflects culture from a different perspective than that of the government, leaders, corporations, etc.: that of the people.
I first traveled to Mexico City and Oaxaca for three weeks in August 2017 to investigate this topic, and returned on a follow-up trip this past winter term. My objective has remained the same since I first started exploring this topic: to bring the voices and unique perspectives of contemporary Mexican artists to people in other parts of the world. To accomplish this, I conducted one-on-one interviews with more than 25 urban artists in Oaxaca and Mexico City and asked questions ranging from “What do you think is the function of urban art” to “Is all art in the public space inherently political?” I also dove deeply into the existing body of relevant literature, toured museums and national monuments, and embedded myself in the artistic community as best as I could.
Additionally, I created a digital archive of photographs from 2017 and 2019 that highlight the changes I myself have witnessed on walls in Oaxaca and Mexico City. Through the various methodological approaches I have used in this project, I have identified four functions urban art can, and has served, in Oaxaca and Mexico City: 1) It can act as a form of identity affirmation – one that reflects everyday people, regardless of status or affiliation; 2) It places cultural testimony in public spaces; 3) When combined with other approaches, it can lead to social mobilization; 4) in the aftermath of a movement, it can preserve the collective memory, rather than a dominant hegemonic narrative.
My objective is to challenge common perceptions surrounding urban art and encourage people to go see these works for themselves. It was made possible thanks to support from UROP and HURF.