Carlos Motta: Your Monsters, Our Idols
On view September 16–December 30, 2022 This thematic solo exhibition—the largest presentation of Motta’s work in the US to date—celebrates the Colombian-born, New York–based artist’s commitment to radical difference and the debut of his Wex-commissioned project, The Columbus Assembly. Acclaimed for work that addresses critical LGBTQIA+ issues of both past and present, Motta (he/him) describes himself as “an historian of untold narratives and archivist of repressed histories.” Your Monsters, Our Idols, curated by Wex Associate Curator of Exhibitions Lucy I. Zimmerman, brings together a selection of Motta’s photographs, films, sculptures, drawings, and installations from the late 1990s through today, which reflect two major areas of exploration in his practice: postcolonial subjectivity and democratic participation. These works reveal the struggles of queer people under the constraints of oppressive social and political regimes, but also use participation as a device, employing self-representation and self-determination as strategies to produce counternarratives. The range of this liberated expression is expanded through collaborations with other artists, including Julio Salgado, Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau, Tiamat Legion Medusa, and SPIT! (Sodomites, Perverts, Inverts Together!). The Columbus Assembly, Motta’s first multichannel sound installation, was supported by a Wex Artist Residency Award. The project is based on conversations with artists, activists, and scholars who considered the stakes of changing the name of Columbus, Ohio—the largest city in the world named after Christopher Columbus. Two volumes designed by Composite Co. will be published with Your Monsters, Our Idols: A booklet accompanying the residency work that features the edited roundtable conversations along with a poem by Indigo Gonzales Miller, and an exhibition gallery guide that will feature new essays by Zimmerman and scholar and filmmaker Susan Stryker. @wexarts @lucyzimmerman @compositeco @jak0b.gmbh @christiandutilh @dragonladymedusa @juliosalgado83 @atabey_mamita @despinazacharopoulou7 @jarthy @indigotye @susan_stryker @lapaetau