they’re usually negatively connoted—to segue to discussions about issues like immigration and racial profiling. “That’s the way I sneak it in—I appeal to humanity,” he said. “Sometimes you have to appeal to the humanity of people. It’s a way of talking about divisive issues.” It’ll also be a way for Tulsans to see themselves in a way they haven’t before—especially the population that resides mostly on the east side of town. “There’s always a place; they always talk about the ethnic part of town in relation to the white part of town,” Argüelles, who teaches high school on the south side of Oklahoma City, a predominantly Latino community, noted. “Those places don’t exist on a map. If you pick up a map, it doesn’t say ‘East Los Angeles’; it just says ‘Los Angeles.’” Part of the purpose of his two-fold project is to bridge the gap between street art and gallery art, especially for the Latino community in Tulsa. It’s a gap he’s experienced while teaching Latino students in Oklahoma City. They understand what galleries and museums do, but they don’t necessarily believe they have a place within their walls. They’re not confident their work is worth displaying on a gallery wall. Galleries seem sterile, fragile, off-limits. There’s a disconnect, he said. “For some reason, they don’t make this jump,” Argüelles said. “I tell them, ‘You know, you can exhibit this work. You don’t have to paint on a wall.’” Argüelles plans to shuttle viewers from the various street art locations to the gallery, taking them back and forth from places that might seem comfortable to them—whether that be on the street or in the gallery—to others that are not, and helping them make the connection between the two. He also plans to spend some of his residency working with street artists, students, and the Latino community to create a dialogue about art. “Art on walls has a long tradition in many cultures, including the Mexican culture that I belong to,” he wrote in his project proposal.
“From Aztec murals, the murals of Diego Rivera, and the Chicano murals and graffitiinspired work of the 1960s, there is a rich history of art on walls. As a youth, I explored and experimented with street art and eventually including it in work as an artist. As a professional artist, I was excited to include urban art in installation art pieces around the world.” Argüelles said some people are surprised to learn that a Christian mission trip originally brought him to Oklahoma City from Los Angeles; they consider his left-leaning message about immigration and it doesn’t meld with their far-right perception of Christianity. “I don’t like to put things in categories like that,” he said. “What I talk about is love—it’s hope, it’s charity. Those things are parts of people. I got that from my church teachings, and that’s how I approach my artwork. Love, hope—that’s at the core of my artwork. It might be a little bit in-your-face, but I think Jesus got mad at people a couple of times. “The goal of the artwork is to communicate an idea to change the world,” he said. “That has always been the goal of my artwork. And having the opportunity to be in Tulsa, at a new location—I don’t take that responsibility lightly. I want to make a good impression for the people, because I do represent a group of people.” Concept/OK: Art in Oklahoma will be held December 16, 2012 – February 16, 2013 at the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa’s Hardesty Arts Center. The exhibition includes residencies, a survey of contemporary Oklahoma artists, and an exhibition exchange with Kansas City. For more information, including related workshops and public events, visit www.concept-ok.org. n Holly Wall is an award-winning journalist who’s written about art, business and family matters for various newspapers and magazines in Oklahoma. Currently, she’s the news editor for This Land Press, where she writes daily commentary on local and national news as it pertains to the state, as well as long-form, narrative stories. She lives in Tulsa with her two sons.
(top) Narciso Argüelles works with actress and model Megan Bednarz on imagery for Heaven Spots. The final version will have performance art aspects as well as site-specific art work. Photo by Narciso Argüelles. Lasers provided by Toucan Productions. (botom) Narciso Argüelles, Oklahoma City, Culti-Multural, Digital print on inkaid treated metal, 36” x 24”
p ro f i l e
9