APRIL 9, 2020 — For UTSA master of fine arts student Gabi Magaly, when the exhibition of her thesis work was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, it was an opportunity to overcome, not succumb to, the situation. Magaly, in true Roadrunner spirit, decided to create a showcase of her final project online.
“I look at the bright side,” she said. “Now people can see my work over the internet. “Hopefully, it spreads like wildfire.”
Magaly’s effort shows how creative thinkers can still present their work, despite stay-at-home orders. Her friends helped her make a brief video to explain her show, and Presa House Gallery created a virtual tour that allows not only the San Antonio community but now the entire world to see Magaly’s art up close.
The artwork in Magaly’s show, titled “Yo No Nací Para Aguantar a Nadie” (“I Wasn’t Born to Put Up With Anybody”), is not easy. It deals with themes of growing up in a Mexican American household, tackling community issues, such as the culture of machismo and marianismo, a veneration for perceived feminine virtues like purity and moral strength. Items that are traditionally associated with many Mexican American households—Fiesta-brand spices, fideo, prayer cards, candles, blankets and tortillas—are turned upside down. She uses a visual language, usually reserved for Abuela’s kitchen and living room, to push for empowerment of Hispanic Gen Z and Latinx women.
Upending Tradition
COURTESY OF PRESA HOUSE GALLERY / VIRTUAL TOUR VIDEO BY NAÍN LEÓNHer numerous group exhibitions include “New Media from Texas” at Luis Leu Gallery in Karlsruhe, Germany, “Photoplay” at Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in San Antonio, and winning Best in Show for her Santa Catherine de Siena piece at the Masur Museum of Art’s 56th Annual Juried Competition Exhibition in Monroe, Louisiana.
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