The UNC Latina/o studies program held an undergraduate symposium Monday to discuss the exploration of art and its relation to history, politics and identity.
UNC students Abigail Gillespie and Livia Benitez gave presentations about their research and perspectives on Latinx art.
“For some artists, their art is a way to heal and understand what their complex identity is,” Gillespie said. “They’re expressing their lived experiences in a deeply personal way that does not require spoken words. They're telling a story, even if no one is around to listen.”
The symposiums are part of a series that relates history to current events happening in Latinx communities and around the world.
“We intentionally create unique symposiums, and the symposiums are really intended to help our campus and broader community expand their conceptions of what defines Latinx people, their experiences, values and cultural and intellectual productions,” Geovani Ramírez, a postdoctoral teaching assistant professor who moderated the symposium, said.
Gillespie began the symposium with a presentation on narrative art and healing. She focused on "Disease Thrower," a collection of sculptures created by Salvadoran-American artist Guadalupe Maravilla. The work was inspired by Maravilla's experiences with migration and cancer.
Gillespie said immigration can sometimes cause stress on one's physiological and mental health, citing Maravilla’s experiences with immigration as a running theme in his work.
“To understand the trauma associated with being an undocumented immigrant, you have to understand the trauma associated with before, during and after the migration process,” Gillespie said.
Benitez’s presentation focused on art as a catalyst for revolution against censorship from the Cuban government.
