Mixografia is pleased to present the exhibition ¡Viva! – Taller de Gráfica Popular and the Revolution, organized in recognition of current efforts across the globe to bring an end to deeply-embedded systems of racism and oppression. It is in the nature of art to heal and reveal, and it is imperative to keep a focus on the pursuit of justice. While the gallery remains closed, we are able to exhibit these artworks virtually via our newly-developed platform, Mixografia3D, which expands upon our virtual gallery initially released in April as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.
This selection of etchings and relief prints, chosen from Mixografia’s archives and created by Taller de Gráfica Popular, highlights the ongoing struggle for freedom then and now, and seeks to emphasize the unifying power of art in times of strife. The exhibition includes artworks by Raul Anguiano, Angel Bracho, Celia Calderon, Elizabeth Catlett, Sarah Jimenez, Leopoldo Mendez, Jose Guadalupe Posada, and David Alfaro Siqueiros.
These artists helped establish the foundational printmaking collective in 1937 as a response to the rise of fascism around the world. They sought to spread the truth far and wide as a means of educating the public about the realities of life under oppressive regimes, depicting images of strength, tenderness, and violence with an unvarnished lens, and calling upon a tradition of activism in the arts that continues to this day. The formidable legacy of this coalition and its influence on many social movements throughout the 20th century serves as a testament to resilience against the odds of overwhelming cruelty and injustice.
Mixografia3D seeks to match the experience of seeing art in a physical space as closely as possible, and to make it possible for anyone to visit the gallery from anywhere and at anytime. With Mixografia3D, we digitally reconstruct our Downtown Los Angeles gallery space using a combination of 3D modeling software and real-time rendering engines to introduce a degree of immersion, context, and interactivity to the online art-viewing experience. Future releases will establish a digital archive for exhibitions to be revisited at any point past their closing date.
While it is unknown when the time will be right for us to open our doors again, we are humbled to unearth these artworks at this most crucial time, and we look forward to expanding on the possibilities made available by this platform. Please respond to this email if you have any feedback, questions, or comments, and we will continue developing the gallery to create an even richer experience.