IRONÍAS
DEL SUR

 NEO FIGURATION
FROM THE COLLECTION

The Art Movement of Rebellion

Fragmented

Irony

Ironías del Sur:
Neo-Figuration from the Collection

Through a curated selection of portraits and fragmented forms, the collection explores themes of self-reflection, political awareness, and the inherent contradictions of a continent’s identity. It is an artistic journey that reveals the “knowing smile” of irony—a subversive way of seeing the world.

The Invisible Labor of Identity and Dislocation

Artist Jay Lynn Gomez uses her acrylic-on-magazine-print works to highlight the often-unseen labor behind a world of luxury and design. Her pieces act as poignant social commentary, placing the individuals who perform this essential, everyday work directly into the high-end, aspirational environments that would otherwise render them invisible

Ironies / Ironías, 2013

Ironies is an interior design firm that frequently advertises in upscale magazines. Here Jay Lynn Gomez has painted a Latina day worker into one of their spreads, reminding us that someone has to care for all of those luxurious furnishings.

Ironías es una empresa de diseño de interiores que frecuentemente se anuncia en revistas de alta gama. Aquí, Jay Lynn Gomez ha pintado a una trabajadora latina en uno de sus anuncios, recordándonos que alguien tiene que encargarse de cuidar todos esos muebles lujosos.

Delia Preparing Dinner, 2014

Acrylic on magazine print / Acrílico sobre impresión de revista 15 ⅞ X 12 ⅛ inches / pulgadas

MOLAA Permanent Collection; Gift of Charlie James Gallery Los Angeles / Colección permanente de MOLAA; Donación de la Galería Charlie James, Los Ángeles

Richard Prince: Monochromatic Jokes

The piece is a work by Jay Lynn Gomez, known for her practice of making the “invisible” labor force visible. In this artwork, Gomez has intervened on an advertisement for a Richard Prince exhibition titled “Monochromatic Jokes.” She has painted a janitor sweeping the floor, a figure who is typically overlooked in the context of an art gallery.

Witness to the Self/ Testigo del Ser

Prominent contemporary Mexican artists use their art as a form of self-analysis and social commentary, with a significant focus on LGBTQ+ themes. Their works are deeply autobiographical, with nearly every piece featuring a self-portrait. This self-referential approach allows him to explore his personal experiences as a gay man in a conservative, “macho” Latin culture.

Mouth with Nails

2003

Bearded Lady

1994

The Nothing / La nada

Arturo Elizondo frequently paints self-portraits. Here he reclines in a world of
personal symbols from the past, including ancient art and children’s drawings.

Giving Form to the Unseen

The artists’ commonality lies in their focus on giving voice and visibility to the marginalized and unseen. While from different countries and with distinct styles, their work collectively uses deeply personal symbolism to confront themes of identity, memory, labor, and migration in Latin America. They transform everyday or intimate objects—such as human teeth, shoe lasts, or their own bodies—into powerful critiques of social, cultural, and political power structures.

The Border Line #1 / La Línea Fronteriza #1

2007

To create this personal statement about the U.S.-Mexico border, the artist pushed pins through a straw mat and photographed it next to some green vegetation. She made the small houses by soldering brass and copper sheets.

Lesson 1 / Lección 1

1998

Ana Fabry painted this work near the beginning of a foreign debt crisis in Argentina which eventually led to massive currency devaluations. The artist’s Lesson 1 for solving the crisis seems to be to lock up all the business men and politicians.

Maquettes for Plataia

Marta Minujin here fractures the head which symbolizes a Greek hero, expressing an irreverent attitude toward icons of Western civilization. These are models for a larger
version of the work which stands 8 feet high.

Fragile Authority

In this sarcastic rendition of royalty, the artist has split the monarch into parallel sheets and eliminated most of the figure’s volume. What remains is an attractive but fragile array of patterns.

En esta representación sarcástica de la realeza, el artista ha dividido al monarca en láminas paralelas y ha eliminado la mayor parte del volumen de la figura. Lo que queda es un conjunto de patrones atractivos pero frágiles.