Skip to main content
Al Rendón, Selena Entre A Mi Mundo [Selena Enter My World], 1992, printed 2014, Archival pigmen…
De moda: Fashion, Ceremony, and Symbols of Resilience (part 1)
Al Rendón, Selena Entre A Mi Mundo [Selena Enter My World], 1992, printed 2014, Archival pigmen…
Al Rendón, Selena Entre A Mi Mundo [Selena Enter My World], 1992, printed 2014, Archival pigment ink print, Gift of Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores Garcia, PA2023.CA.657

De moda: Fashion, Ceremony, and Symbols of Resilience (part 1)

Saturday, April 6, 2024 - Sunday, September 22, 2024
"De moda" showcases dynamic representations of contemporary fashion and traditional regalia of Chicano, Latino, and Indigenous communities. Featuring works from the Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores Garcia collection, artists explore how clothing and style reflect cultural affirmation, historical reclamation, political protest, and ceremonial practice.

The themes in this exhibition explore the urban cool of the pachuco and their stylish legacies throughout Chicano art. Latino and Chicano portraits honor the Western wear of Northern Mexico, as with musical entertainers such as the late Tejano musician Selena Quintanilla. Mexican and Mexican American musicians blend regional Mexican styles with American pop while challenging and queering fashion. Artists document political protest and social unrest, turning uniforms, like the beret, into revolutionary symbols. The exhibit also displays photographs highlighting traditional costumes and regalia that empower previously enslaved Indigenous communities, such as New Mexico’s "Genízaros," to continue their ancestral ceremonies. "De moda" features artist reflections on the impact of fashion and cultural regalia as an expression and role in social transformation.

Curated by Claudia Zapata, Associate Curator, Latino Art, Blanton Museum of Art.
Gallery Text
De moda unveils dynamic representations of contemporary fashion and traditional regalia of Chicano, Latino, and Indigenous communities. Featuring selections from the Gilberto Cardenas and Dolores Garcia collection, De moda explores the role of attire and visual aesthetic as a defining form of cultural affirmation, historical reclamation, political protest, and ceremonial practice. Artists featured in this gallery capture their represented figures through approaches such as the photodocumentary archival lens, the gestural space of printmaking, and epic painted portraits. Thematic prominence lies in the urban cool of the pachuco and their stylish legacies throughout Chicano art figuration. Latino and Chicano portraiture honor the Western wear of Northern Mexico, as with musical entertainers such as the late Tejano musician Selena Quintanilla. Mexican and Mexican American musicians blend regional Mexican styles with American pop while challenging and queering fashion. Artists documenting political protest and social unrest reflect the creative transformation of official uniforms, like the beret, into revolutionary symbols. The legacies and historical significance of costume and regalia empower previously enslaved Indigenous communities, such as New Mexico's Genizaros, to continue their ancestral ceremonies. Such material expression and adornment are transformative narratives of cultural resilience and ancestral reverence. De moda features artist reflections on the impact of sartorial choices and the cultural nuance of material expression as a lens for social transformation. 
Texto de Sala
De moda devela representaciones dinámicas de la moda contemporánea y los atuendos tradicionales de las comunidades chicana, latina e indígena. Presentando selecciones de la colección Gilberto Cardenas y Dolores Garcia, De moda explora el papel del atuendo y la estética visual como formas definitorias de afirmación cultural, reivindicación histórica, protesta política y práctica ceremonial. Los artistas incluídos en esta sala capturan figuras representadas a través de enfoques como la lente de archivo fotodocumental, el espacio gestual del grabado y los retratos épicos pintados. La frescura urbana del pachuco tiene protagonismo temático por su elegante legado en la figuración en el arte chicano. El retrato latino y chicano rinde homenaje a la indumentaria occidental del norte de México, con artistas musicales como la difunta cantante tejana Selena Quintanilla. Músicos mexicanos y mexicano-americanos mezclan estilos regionales mexicanos con el pop estadounidense, a la vez que desafían la moda, haciéndola más queer. Los artistas que documentan la protesta politica y el malestar social reflejan la transformación creativa de los uniformes oficiales, como la boina, en símbolos revolucionarios. El legado histórico de los trajes y las vestimentas permiten a las comunidades indigenas anteriormente esclavizadas, como los genízaros de Nuevo México, continuar con sus ceremonias ancestrales. Tai expresión material y adorno son narrativas transformadoras de resistencia cultural y reverencia ancestral. De moda presenta reflexiones de artistas sobre el impacto de las selecciones de ropa y el matiz cultural de la expresión material como lente para la transformación social.