Ofrenda para Antonio Lomas [Offering for Antonio Lomas]

Since the early 1970s, Carmen Lomas Garza has created narrative scenes comprising realistic snapshots of Mexican-American life, serving as counterpoints to negative representations of her community, often disseminated by the media.The artist explained her objective as follows:  

To create works of art that instill pride in our Mexican-American cultural and historical contributions to American society. The Chicano movement inspired me to concentrate on our everyday lives based on my memories and experiences in South Texas. I saw the need for art that would elicit recognition and appreciation among Mexican Americans and at the same time serve as a source of education for others not familiar with our culture. 

Ofrenda para Antonio Lomas is a departure from Garza’s works on canvas or paper, transferring to metal the flatness of papel picado, the traditional Mexican cut paper banners used as Day of the Dead decorations. She created this work as part of a traditional Día de los Muertos altar honoring her grandfather’s memory. In this large relief, she symbolically transplants Antonio Lomas from working in his garden into the gallery, elevating her protagonist and the task he performs to heroic proportions. Garza’s portrayal compels viewers to rethink preconceptions about others’ lives, providing both a face and an identity for so many gardeners who remain anonymous.