Jesse Amado American, b. 1951
I Am Not Your Mexican: Rhapsody in Blue, Gazing North Beyond the Broken Fence, 2021
Le Corbusier acrylic, Chicharrón, felt, and Plexiglas on canvas
39.8 x 39.8 x 3 in
101.1 x 101.1 x 7.62 cm
101.1 x 101.1 x 7.62 cm
Further images
One of the pioneers in conceptual work on Latino identity politics, Amado’s artwork is in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; El Museo Del Barrio, New...
One of the pioneers in conceptual work on Latino identity politics, Amado’s artwork is in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; El Museo Del Barrio, New York, NY; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, among others. “I am not your Mexican #5” is a mixed-media artwork made from Le Corbusier's acrylic-on-canvas painting, incorporating wood, chicharrón (pork rind), and felt.
Jesse Amado’s artwork remarks on issues of identity and representation in the history of art. The title immediately calls attention to the artist’s Mexican heritage and parallels that of the film “I Am Not Your Negro” (2016). The movie, based on James Baldwin’s writing, offers a history of the systematic marginalization of Black American historical figures and events through their misrepresentation (or under-representation) in mainstream historical narratives. Thus, the title’s reference serves as an entry point for understanding art that may at first appear highly conceptual or purely abstract. Instead, "I am not your Mexican: Rhapsody in Blue, Gazing north beyond the broken fence" compels us to reconsider the art-historical canon for the twenty-first century. The work is particularly important for its innovative use of chicharrón, a highly charged food product with both cultural and socio-economic commentary.
Jesse Amado’s artwork remarks on issues of identity and representation in the history of art. The title immediately calls attention to the artist’s Mexican heritage and parallels that of the film “I Am Not Your Negro” (2016). The movie, based on James Baldwin’s writing, offers a history of the systematic marginalization of Black American historical figures and events through their misrepresentation (or under-representation) in mainstream historical narratives. Thus, the title’s reference serves as an entry point for understanding art that may at first appear highly conceptual or purely abstract. Instead, "I am not your Mexican: Rhapsody in Blue, Gazing north beyond the broken fence" compels us to reconsider the art-historical canon for the twenty-first century. The work is particularly important for its innovative use of chicharrón, a highly charged food product with both cultural and socio-economic commentary.
