Beyond Shared Language: Contemporary Art and the Latin American Experience

Beyond Shared Language: Contemporary Art and the Latin American Experience includes works by contemporary artists of Latin American descent (from North, Central and South America) and explores issues relating to cultural identity, ethnicity, religion and both the fragility and fluidity of their visual language.

While the title Beyond Shared Language suggests a commonality flowing out of shared language, Latin America is far from a monolithic culture. The exhibition features 37 works in a range of craft media such as clay, glass, metal, wood, fiber and mixed media, by 14 artists whose countries of origin, migration patterns, socioeconomic profiles, multiple language dialects, and physical characteristics differ. These works demonstrate a wide range of contemporary materials and forms including, but not limited to, expressions rooted in traditional materials, structure, processes and history, as well as art that explores unexpected relationships between craft and painting, sculpture, conceptual and installation art.