Unknown Distances, from the series Unknown Distances/​Undiscovered Islands

iliana emilia garcía, Unknown Distances, from the series Unknown Distances/Undiscovered Islands, 2006-2007, printed 2012, inkjet print on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by William W. W. Parker, 2013.32.1, © 2006, iliana emilia garcía
iliana emilia garcía, Unknown Distances, from the series Unknown Distances/Undiscovered Islands, 2006-2007, printed 2012, inkjet print on canvas, image: 3038 in. (76.296.5 cm) canvas: 3240 in. (81.3101.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible by William W. W. Parker, 2013.32.1, © 2006, iliana emilia garcía

Artwork Details

Title
Unknown Distances, from the series Unknown Distances/​Undiscovered Islands
Date
2006-2007, printed 2012
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 3038 in. (76.296.5 cm) canvas: 3240 in. (81.3101.6 cm)
Copyright
© 2006, iliana emilia garcía
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by William W. W. Parker
Mediums Description
inkjet print on canvas
Classifications
Object Number
2013.32.1

Artwork Description

A palpable sense of longing animates garcía’s photograph of two rustic chairs common in the Dominican Republic that are posed like star-crossed lovers on the beach. This romantic imagery becomes a vehicle to consider the ties that bind immigrants to their native countries.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013


Description in Spanish

Un sentido palpable de nostalgia anima la fotografía tomada por garcía de dos sillas rústicas comunes en la República Dominicana posadas en la playa como si fueran una pareja de desafortunados amantes. Esta imagen romántica se convierte en un vehículo para considerar los lazos que unen a los inmigrantes con su país natal.

Nuestra América: la presencia latina en el arte estadounidense, 2013

Works by this artist (4 items)

Paul Henry Ramirez, SPIN (pink), 2009, screenprint on linen canvas with rotating wall-mount armature, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.11.2A-B, © 2009, Paul Henry Ramirez
SPIN (pink)
Date2009
screenprint on linen canvas with rotating wall-mount armature
Not on view
Paul Henry Ramirez, SPIN (orange), 2009, screenprint on linen canvas with rotating wall-mount armature, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.11.3A-B, © 2009, Paul Henry Ramirez
SPIN (orange)
Date2009
screenprint on linen canvas with rotating wall-mount armature
Not on view
Paul Henry Ramirez, SPIN (red), 2009, screenprint on linen canvas with rotating wall-mount armature, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2011.11.1A-B, © 2009, Paul Henry Ramirez
SPIN (red)
Date2009
screenprint on linen canvas with rotating wall-mount armature
Not on view

Related Books

OurAmerica_500.jpg
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art explores how Latino artists shaped the artistic movements of their day and recalibrated key themes in American art and culture. This beautifully illustrated volume presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge. Our America includes works by artists who participated in all the various artistic styles and movements, including abstract expressionism; activist, conceptual, and performance art; and classic American genres such as landscape, portraiture, and scenes of everyday life. 

Exhibitions

Media - 2011.12 - SAAM-2011.12_1 - 77591
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art
October 25, 2013March 2, 2014
Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art presents the rich and varied contributions of Latino artists in the United States since the mid-twentieth century, when the concept of a collective Latino identity began to emerge.

Related Posts

Media - 2013.32.1 - SAAM-2013.32.1_1 - 82226
How does it feel to leave your homeland and settle in a new country? In this blog post, curatorial assistant Florencia Bazzano-Nelson explores how one immigrant artist, iliana emilia garcía imagines her ongoing ties to her native county of birth.
Florencia Bazzano-Nelson

More Artworks from the Collection

James F. Dicke II, Untitled #48, 2009, mixed media on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Marsha Ralls, 2010.19.1, © 2009, James F. Dicke II
Untitled #48
Date2009
mixed media on canvas
On view
Residual Series: Weak Heart, Strong Lungs
Date2018
ink, charcoal, acrylic, spray paint, enamel, oil, metal dust and pine needles on canvas
Not on view
Rae Ferren, The Lily Pool, 2004, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Bran Ferren, 2010.59, © 2004, Rae Ferren
The Lily Pool
Date2004
oil on canvas
On view
Alexis Rockman, Gymnorhamphichthys bogardusae, 2001, oil on wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William and Maria Spears, 2019.58
Gymnorhamphichthys bogardusae
Date2001
oil on wood
Not on view