In Reference To, Mexican Women of Queens

Mexico is a country rich with culture; traditional music and dance, savory cuisine and an assortment of people. However, due to the political and economic climate, many people flee the country in search of a better and more economically sound lifestyle. But, because of current U.S. policies, many times their departures are rushed and aggressive. As a result, the travelers are forced to pack quickly and lightly, causing them to narrow down their personal belongings into a small combination of bare necessities and highly intimate items.
 
 
As another installment of Queens Art Express 2012, “In Reference To, Mexican Women of Queens”, a photographic project by Alejandra Regalado, is centered around that very concept. Regalado’s latest project was exhibited Friday, June 15th, in Corona, Queens in a cozy yet lively Mexican restaurant, Tortilleria Nixtamal.
 
 
The brightly colored restaurant displayed a multi-colored marquee with the name of the show in bright lights, as Latin American music played and people slowly started to make their way in. As I walked in, the waitress, who was wearing a customary embroidered blouse and skirt with a beautifully intricate braid in her hair, greeted everyone with a warm smile. On the wall directly in front of me, hung a select number of photographs with a television screen to the left playing a looped video of other portraits paired with quotes from the women. Many of the women who are a part of the project were in attendance, proudly showing off their photographs to family and friends. Waiters walked around with delicious appetizers for the guests to indulge in as Regalado made her way around the crowd.
 
 
In this series, Regalado photographed 100 women who live in New York and their most cherished objects that connect them with Mexico. Ranging from a pair of old Converse sneakers, to an engagement ring, to a magazine, the cherished object is often times nothing of much monetary value. Instead, these items are emotionally heavy, serving as a temporary gateway, but permanent memory, into a past lifetime. The portraits are intimate, yet very calming, often showing the women in a moment of great modesty. There is nothing extravagant or fussy about the photographs, instead the women and their corresponding “most cherished object” are presented in a very organic way.
 
This series also deals greatly with the notion of cultural identity and cultural assimilation. “The women were photographed in a square format against a white background as a reference to the American passport photo. The objects are isolated against a white background, a reference to the way pre-Columbian archaeological artifacts are cataloged and celebrated throughout Mexico.”, writes Regalado in her project description. The idea that the portraits are attempting to recreate the American passport photo is paralleled with the fact that these women have left behind their home and their culture and everything they’ve known up until the moment of departure, and are now entering someone else’s territory; a territory where they will more than likely be forced to assimilate. And it is in moments of assimilation that cultural identity lines are blurred and made hazy.
 
 
But all of the heavier political implications were evened out by the energy of the people in attendance, the live mariachi band and the overall good vibe in the space. It was in that short moment, in a small restaurant in Queens that the women came together to piece together little, individual fragments of their past and create a space I’m sure was reminiscent of their lives back at home.