Lucha Libre Beyond the Arenas
ASU Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona, USA | Exposición colectiva
Artists, photographers, collectives: Dr. Alderete, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Carlos Amorales, Javier Barrios, Maris Bustamante (photos by Lourdes Almeida), Karla Díaz, Annick Donkers, Fili Durón, Juan El Charro Espinosa, Mr. Fish, Demián Flores, César Flores and Gabriela Gómez Mont, Guillermo Peña, Emmanuel García, David Gremard, Zarco Guerrero, Juan Guzmán, Lourdes Grobet, Graciela Iturbide, Alejadro Macías, Pedr Meyer, Mr. Poper, Nina Hoechtl feat Superdisidencias, INVASORIX feat. Noemy Esparza-Isaacson, Carlos Ramírez, Joe Ray, Ireri de la Peña, Cristian Pineda, Rotmi Enciso & Ina Riaskov as Producciones y Milagros Agrupación Feminista, Miguel Valverde, Katayoun Vaziri and Lorena Wolffer.
Co-curated with Julio Morales
October 29, 2023 - May 7, 2024.
Lucha Libre Beyond the Arenas, explores Mexican wrestling beyond its popularity in contemporary beyond its popularity in contemporary culture to reveal the sport's ancient roots, explore its roots of the sport, explore its influence on socio-political movements, and link its linking its relationships to the visual culture of Mexico and other countries. The selected works transcend the glitz and glamour of the theatrical arena and investigate themes such as the underdog and the hero, identity and representation, and collective resistance to authority.
Wrestling has been so closely linked to Mexican national identity and issues of social struggle, as well as community and entertainment, prompting some artists to adopt it as a theme for their own creative expressions. This exhibition offered all visitors -from those who grew up loving the sport to the public who to those who are discovering the sport for the first time the opportunity to see and understand wrestling through the lens of popular culture, poetics and culture, poetics and politics. Lucha Libre Beyond the Arenas is a starting point to appreciate and deepen one's knowledge of Mexican and Mexican-American culture, historically underrepresented in art museums.