Favianna Rodriguez’s new exhibit “Counter Theory,” showing at 58 Gallery in Jersey City, is a decade’s worth of U.S. history seen through the eyes of a political activist. Rodriguez is from Oakland, Calif., the daughter of Peruvian immigrants, and attended high school in Mexico City. Her strong sense of Latina identity helps her lend a voice to “underrepresented” Latin American immigrants.
But her passion for political change doesn’t end there. In more than 50 works – all in paper including prints, woodcuts, and silk screens – she touches on most of America’s hot-button topics, like food security, the green revolution, and the war in Iraq. Her website, presente.org, even helped remove conservative-leaning CNN news anchor Lou Dobbs from the network late last year.
“As artists, we make art by witnessing what’s happening in our country,” the artist said. “To show the moments when important issues changed history.”
“We are a country of immigrants.” – Favianna Rodriguez
________
“I’m really excited about the east coast,” Rodriguez said. “I feel like [the exhibit] represents my history of the U.S. in the last ten years.”
Although her views are certainly controversial, the artist also touches on women’s sexuality and almost everything and anything else that is important to her.
“I try to show images of empowered women in all aspects of life, whatever that may be – not just as artists or as organizers,” she said. “I try to really look at what my identity is, and to portray my art the way I see the world.”
Good-bye to Lou
Rodriguez, who co-founded the website presente.org, a website that encourages regular citizens to come together on common themes, said that she helped spearhead the removal of controversial CNN anchor Lou Dobbs late last year.
“We don’t want a negative representation of immigrants on the eight o’clock news,” she said. “We targeted [Dobbs] because he says outrageous things about immigrants, many of which are straight-up myths.”
After CNN received pressure to release the anchor, Dobbs resigned in November of 2009. According to a piece on cnn.com, Dobbs’ “no-holds-barred, sometimes acerbic style brought him a loyal following, but also attracted controversy both to him and to the network, especially over the subject of illegal immigrants.” Dobbs, who held the 7 p.m. time slot, said he was leaving to “pursue new opportunities” and “go beyond the role” of nightly news anchor.
What it means to be Latina
Rodriguez attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in Chicano studies, and merged her academic studies with her passion for the arts.
“In my experience, oftentimes the voices of immigrants are put in a negative light,” she said. “We hear about immigrants taking jobs from American citizens, and so on, but they are just coming for a better opportunity and make up a big part of American society. We are a country of immigrants, and I want to tackle that issue: how can my work frame immigrants in a more positive light?”
Although the artist spent 20 years living in Oakland, Calif., she moved to Mexico City while attending school in order to escape violence in the city on San Francisco bay.
“I spent a big part of my life in Mexico City,” she said. “Oakland is the fourth most dangerous city – with one of the highest homicide rates – in the country. So when I was growing up and kind of looking at the violence all around me, my parents wanted another alternative.” Rodriguez spent her high school years, from 1992 to 1996, in Mexico’s largest city.
“Mexico City is like the artist capital of the world,” she said. “Based on the art per square foot, it’s one of the highest in the world. And not just because of museums, but cultural centers, and the art in the architecture.”
For more information on Rodriguez, visit: Favianna.com.
Exhibition info
“Counter Theory” is showing at 58 Gallery, 58 Coles St. in Jersey City, through April, with a closing reception from 7 to 11 p.m. on April 3. The gallery is opens at noon on Fridays and Saturdays, or by appointment. For more information, visit: www.fifty8.com.
Sean Allocca can be reached at editorial@hudsonreporter.com