Raphael Montañez Ortiz

Raphael Montañez Ortiz, an artist of Puerto Rican descent born in Brooklyn, founded El Museo del Barrio to celebrate the cultures of East and Central Harlem.  The museum recently exhibited a retrospective of his work.  Ortiz made his name with "destructivism." Definitely not my thing.

"Henny Penny Piano Destruction" (1966-1998)

"Homage to Huelsenbeck" close-up (1988)

Sofas and chairs were on his chopping block, too.

"Archaeological Find: Sacrifice to Truro" (1965)

His imagery drawing a parallel between the horrors of the Holocaust and the colonization of Latin America impressed me more.

"Nailed Marshmallows" (1964)

As does his lack of illusion about the art establishment's white male privilege.   In that respect, he was visionary but he also proves that everything old is new again, except on steroids this time around and perhaps with  more meaningful outcomes.

Ortiz clearly draws from Latin American culture.

Maya Zemi I & II" (1975)

"Maya Zemi II" close-up 

Aztec Totem Shield (1975/2017)

The title of this arresting work is a mouthful:  The Memorial to the Sadistic Holocaust Destruction of Millions of Our Ancient Arawak-Taino-Latinx Ancestors Begun in 1492 by Columbus and His Mission to, With the Conquistadores, Colonize and Deliver to Spain the Wealth of the New World No Matter the Human Cost to the New World's Less Than Human Aborigine Inhabitants...

2019/2020

close-up

Ortiz incorporates woodcuts used to illustrate historical works by Bartolomé de las Casas that documented grisly European cruelties on indigenous peoples.

Gentrification appears to be the theme of similar, less successful works.

Untitled, from the Potlatch series (2020-2021)

I couldn't help but wonder if the curators hadn't isolated Ortiz's more dilettantish work in another gallery.

"Stargate Maze" (2001)

For example, What Is This? (1985)

But the curators also had the good sense to include other contemporary artists from the Harlem scene in the exhibit.

"People's Flag Show" by Faith Ringgold (1970)

"Yo Cora" by Roberto Gil De Montes (2013)

Unidentified