María Magdalena Campos-Pons’s Constellation

Meet the Artists of Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art

Media - 2013.23A-P - SAAM-2013.23A-P_1 - 85107

María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Constellation2004, instant color prints, Smithsonian American Art Museum

About this Artwork

Campos-Pons’s braided and dreadlocked hair, which meanders across the multipaneled composition, takes the shape of a spiral constellation, or a nest, the temporary home of migrating birds. She created this work, which merges elements of photography, painting, and performance, to explore the parallels between her migration from Cuba and the displacement of Africans during slavery. Each photograph can be read as a dreamy landscape or a lyrical trace of diasporic memories.

Acerca de esta obra

El cabello de Campos-Pons, peinado con trenzas y rastas, va ondulándose a través de la composición de varios paneles hasta tomar la forma espiralada de una constelación, o de un nido, el hogar temporal de las aves migratorias. En esta obra, la artista fusiona elementos de fotografía, pintura y performance, para explorar los paralelismos entre su inmigración desde Cuba y el desplazamiento de africanos en la época de la esclavitud. Cada fotografía puede interpretarse como un paisaje onírico o una huella lírica de recuerdos diaspóricos.

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      This audio podcast series discusses artworks and themes in the exhibition Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In this episode, curator E. Carmen Ramos discusses Constellation by María Magdalena Campos-Pons. 

      Latino Artists on Race, Representation, and African Diasporic Culture Discussion

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          Artists María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, and Freddy Rodriguez discuss the varied ways in which they engage Afro-Latino themes and issues in their work. Panelists will consider whether Latino artists bring a unique perspective to representing African diasporic people and culture in American art. Discussion is moderated by curator for Latino Art E. Carmen Ramos.