History and Identity

This week I read about the resistance to colonialism through paintings, sculpture, and collage. Many of these art pieces were very stirring and tragic. The World Promised to Juanito Laguna, a collage by Antonio Berni, depicts an apocalyptic picture. There are mushroom clouds sprouting from the earth, and the destitute stand in the foreground. The piece is meant to show the people who stand on the margins of all cities. I was interested to find out that the materials used for the piece were actual objects found on the outskirts of the city of Juanito. These objects, while discarded by the rich, were used by the poor for shelter. It shows the polarization of the rich and poor in South America, an issue that still is very prevalent today. It reminds me of my visit to Lima, which showed me the level of poverty that is not obvious in the U.S.. I think that pieces like Berni's are essential to our understanding of the world that we might turn away from.