Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Yanez, Larry |
Title |
Cocina Jaiteca |
Date |
1988 |
Medium |
silkscreen, 47/60 |
Culture |
American |
Object ID |
1991.69 |
Collection |
Contemporary Latin American Art |
Object Name |
|
Credit line |
Gift of the Wight Art Gallery, University of California, Los Angeles |
Didactic Information |
Larry Yáñez uses humor and storytelling to present images of ordinary scenes through the lens of his multicultural heritage. Yáñez pulls fragments of images from everyday life and childhood memories to reflect on the humor, fears, strange beliefs, and general misunderstandings of things he experienced as a Mexican growing up in the American Southwest. Remembering what it was like to sit under various kitchen tables as a toddler playing with trucks inspired Yáñez to make Cocina Jaiteca, 1988. All of those memories and tables have jumbled in his memory, and this image recalls the color and warmth of any Mexican-American kitchen. The print's title points to the cultural tension inherent in the image and imbues it with humor. 'Cocina' translates to 'kitchen,' but 'jaiteca' is not a Spanish word; it is a play on the words 'high tech.' The title points to the interaction between two cultures, as well as between the old and the new. Juxtaposed elements like the Virgin of Guadalupe above the radio and refrigerator imply that modern, mass-produced machines are just as much imbued in everyday culture as traditional icons. |