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| Luis Gispert makes photographs and sculptures that synthesize hip-hop’s visually baroque aesthetic with art historical references, ranging from Renaissance painting to early modern furniture. Through his work, Gispert critiques the various dominant cultures and subcultures in contemporary American life. He addresses issues of ethnicity, youth, power, and beauty, as well as his own Cuban American background. Gispert, however, resists classification as a Latino artist and maintains that he intends his work to be more critical than political.
Gispert’s large-scale photographs, such as Wraseling Girls, play with the viewer’s preconceptions about women, American iconography, and traditional Western art images. This photograph features an ethnically diverse group of cheerleaders enacting poses that are derived from art history, global religions, or popular culture. Wraseling Girls is an inter-racial take on Antonio Pollaiuolo’s 15th century Italian Baroque sculpture Hercules Wrestling with Antaeus. Wearing color-coordinated uniforms, designed by the artist, and sporting large amounts of gold jewelry and elaborately painted fingernails popular in hip-hop subculture, Gispert’s protagonists display a contemporary “low culture” tendency toward overindulgences and showiness. He juxtaposes this image with what was considered “high culture,” namely, Baroque art. Growing out of his diverse interests in music, filmmaking, photography, and automobile stereo design, Gispert’s work seeks to use visual contradictions to spark dialogue about contemporary American society and visual culture.  (For Grades 4-6) Who are these women and why are they fighting? What do their facial features and postures tell you about what is going on? What do the womens’ clothing and jewelry tell you about their cultural heritages? Does this photograph look like a candid shot or does it look like it was staged? What about the photograph tells you it might have been set up? Gispert often bases the poses in his photographs on past historical artwork. Can you think of any other paintings or sculptures where you have seen similar poses? |
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Luis Gispert United States, born 1972 Wraseling Girls Fujiflex print, edition 2 of 5, 2002 Gift of Robert Shapiro 2005.16 © Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego |
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