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Chicano Studies Research Center

Make ’Em All Mexican: Works by Linda Vallejo

UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Library
144 Haines Hall
Porcelain sculpture of two young male baseball players in white t-shirts, blue pants and caps, one standing with both arms raised and one sitting.
Linda Vallejo, Championes, 2013. Acrylic, repurposed porcelain; 8” (h) x 4”x 3”.

The work of Los Angeles artist Linda Vallejo is featured in a new exhibition at the CSRC Library that includes selections from Vallejo’s acclaimed Make ’Em All Mexican series, plus excerpts from critical essays, publications that feature the series, and objects from the CSRC’s portfolio of the artist in its collections. For this series, the artist takes iconic images of national and world culture and “makes them Mexican” by using a variety of media to change the color of their skin. The result is a series that uses humor and irony to question whether race, color, and class define our status in the world. The artist states, “Make ’Em All Mexican carries a strong electric charge. To some viewers, the images are hyper-political; for others, they are emotional portals to a past remembered and sometimes forgotten; and for another group, they are just downright hilarious. I have re-created a familiar world to create a new unfamiliar image, one that is unfamiliar to everyone that’s not brown.”

The fall 2014 issue of Aztlán features an essay by the artist as well as works from the Make ’Em All Mexican series; an excerpt from the essay can be read here.

Opening reception: Wednesday, January 21, 4:00-6:00 p.m. with Linda Vallejo, in person.

In the library and vitrine.