Friday, March 19, 2010

Too Ghetto or NOT too Ghetto...That is the question.


Sophia Maldonado, a 26 year old artist was given the opportunity to paint a mural in New York city's Time Square. Maldonado, originally born in Puerto Rico, decided to paint this...


Take a closer look...


... See the art? And do you see the debate?

While Maldonado is extremely talented her artistry, even if it is true to life, this is yet another validation of racial stereotyping people like myself try to avoid daily. Although the artist says this is a depiction of the Latin and Afro- American women you don't see in the tourist area of 42nd street New York, that these are the women who live in the Burroughs, why would anyone want to depict those women in a manner that highlights the negative aspects of their lives?

Saggy breasts, droopy eyes, legs wide and welcoming, clothes disheveled... Let me put it this way. Shitting is a part of life. Some people suffer from hemorrhoids. There could be a hemorrhoid epidemic in North America as we speak... It's a part of life. But we don't often see images, pictures, paintings or graffiti posted in public areas highlighting the fact that assess catch fire.

Maldonado is talented yes, but she has been subject to the same deeply routed, self hatred, racism, sexism and objectifying thoughts we all have. It shows in her art.

Some people have commented they would rather see Latin and Afro- Americans portrayed like this than holding briefcases. A picture of a swollen rectum is better than none?

Maldonado needs to use her talents for good. To shed light on the beauty of these women and not focus on how society has labeled Latin and Afro- Americans in the past. I want to support this young artist in her freedom of speech but I cannot support ignorance. These images look like the wet dream of a bigot. What a waste of talent...4real.

Check out postpomonuyorican.blogspot.com to read about how some are really trying to validate this ghetto bigotry as art.


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