A young person talks through the meaning of “ICED OUT GUERNICA” by Rock “CYFI” Martinez, EWOK, HOTTEA and SHOCK, a recreation of the famous Pablo Picasso piece from 1937, currently held in Madrid, Spain. (Mark Peterson)
In the wake of Operation Metro Surge last winter, artists across the metro area have created art responding to the federal activity. At findfurnish, 2014 Central Ave. NE, 26 of those artists displayed their work in a new exhibition. Titled “The Radical Act of Having Each Other’s Back,” it opened to the public on Aug. 27. findfurnish’s owner, Brian Wilcox, has previously participated in issues affecting the neighborhood. After moving all the display items out and hanging the artwork, the main floor of the building hosted an estimated 500 attendees on the exhibition’s opening night.
An estimated 500 people attended the opening night of “The Radical Act of Having Each Other’s Back,” an exhibition at findfurnish, 2014 Central Ave. NE. (Mark Peterson)
The website mplsart.com noted that the work on display “Explores migration, identity, belonging, resilience, state power, and cultural memory. Together, the exhibition reflects on how creative practice can function as a form of civic record, preserving stories that might otherwise disappear while creating space for dialogue, empathy, and collective reflection.” The works included painting, sculpture, photography, installation, fiber, mixed media, graffiti and public art.
The centerpiece of the exhibit is a 21-by-7-foot aerosol/acrylic mural based on Pablo Picasso’s 1937 painting “Guernica,” considered to be among the world’s most powerful anti-war artworks. Guernica was an ancient town in the Basque section of Spain that was bombed by German warplanes during the Spanish Civil War.
Titled “ICED OUT GUERNICA,” the version at findfurnish was created by artists Rock “CYFI” Martinez, EWOK, HOTTEA and SHOCK. The project arose from a trip Martinez took to Madrid, where he first saw Picasso’s “Guernica” and began imagining what a contemporary monument to collective memory might look like in Minnesota.
About the experience, Martinez noted, “Standing before the painting, I understood that bearing witness cannot be passive. Art can preserve what official accounts overlook or attempt to erase. ‘ICED OUT GUERNICA’ is our record of what Minnesota experienced, but it is also a declaration: We saw what happened, we remember and we refuse to look away.” Viewers can engage directly with the work through hand-painted magnetic elements that can be moved across its surface.
“Huddled Masses” by Olivia Grant. Twenty-six artists are displaying their work in the space. (Mark Peterson)
The artists hope “ICED OUT GUERNICA” will travel to museums and cultural institutions across the country, extending conversations about public memory, civic responsibility and the role of contemporary art in documenting history as it unfolds.
Participating artists will receive 50% of proceeds from artwork sales, while the remaining proceeds will support community recovery efforts connected to immigration enforcement in Minnesota.
Martinez said, “An exhibition about collective care must practice collective care. It cannot borrow the language of community and then return to business as usual. The artists deserve to be supported, and the exhibition must also contribute directly to the people whose experiences brought this work into being.”
The exhibition runs through September 20 and is open daily 10 am-6 pm.