Celia Álvarez Muñoz American, b. 1937
Postales, 1987-88
Installation - Painting, street signs, lawn chairs,
72 x 108 in painting size
8 x 30-40 in sign size
48 x 48 x 10 in scroll size
8 x 30-40 in sign size
48 x 48 x 10 in scroll size
Further images
Postales features large, airbrushed paintings of houses from border neighborhoods, which were assimilated into the United States after the Chamizal dispute was formally settled in 1964. The dispute originated in...
Postales features large, airbrushed paintings of houses from border neighborhoods, which were assimilated into the United States after the Chamizal dispute was formally settled in 1964. The dispute originated in the 19th century, when the Rio Grande River shifted its course between El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, granting the United States 600 acres of Mexican land.
The emptiness of the three lawn chairs (pink, white, and yellow) is central to the installation, implying a sense of displaced community. Several crossed street signs suspended from the ceiling further the effect, as the intersections they mark are those of Spanish words paired with their phonetic versions, as commonly mispronounced in English.
The emptiness of the three lawn chairs (pink, white, and yellow) is central to the installation, implying a sense of displaced community. Several crossed street signs suspended from the ceiling further the effect, as the intersections they mark are those of Spanish words paired with their phonetic versions, as commonly mispronounced in English.
