Illegal Alien’s Guide to the Concept of Relative Surplus Value

Enrique Chagoya, Illegal Alien's Guide to the Concept of Relative Surplus Value, 2009, color lithograph on Amate paper, 1580 in. (38.1203.2 cm) irregular, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2010.26, © 2009, Shark's Ink

Artwork Details

Title
Illegal Alien’s Guide to the Concept of Relative Surplus Value
Publisher
Shark's Ink
Date
2009
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
1580 in. (38.1203.2 cm) irregular
Copyright
© 2009, Shark's Ink
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
color lithograph on Amate paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Cartoon — comics — Popeye
  • Object — art object — painting
  • Travel — water — ship
  • Figure — fragment — skeleton
  • Travel — water — canoe
  • Animal — fish
  • Architecture — vehicle — truck
Object Number
2010.26

Artwork Description

Chagoya’s lithograph resembles a pre-Columbian Maya codex, an accordion-like book printed on Amate paper and traditionally read from right to left. His contemporary rendition blends references to several apocalyptic moments – the conquest of the Americas, transatlantic slavery, deadly tsunamis, and the disastrous economic downturn of 2008. By juxtaposing historical images and comic-book figures, Chagoya conceives of an ironic history in which non-European peoples survive turbulent events of the past and present.

Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art, 2013

Description in Spanish

La litografía de Chagoya se asemeja a un códice maya precolombino, un libro en forma de acordeón impreso en papel amate que tradicionalmente se lee de derecha a izquierda. Esta versión contemporánea del artista combina referencias a varios momentos apocalípticos ―la conquista de las Américas, la esclavitud transatlántica, los tsunamis destructores y la desastrosa crisis económica del 2008. Mediante la yuxtaposición de imágenes históricas y personajes de tiras cómicas, Chagoya crea una historia irónica en la cual los pueblos que no son de origen europeo sobreviven a los turbulentos eventos del pasado y el presente.

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

Works by this artist (55 items)

Ellsworth Kelly, Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.30
Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red Blue, 1964, screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.28
Red Blue
Date1964
screenprint
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red over Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.29
Red over Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
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.

More Artworks from the Collection

Bohyun Yoon, Glass Tube, 2012, glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Giselle and Ben Huberman, 2012.57A-L, © 2012, Bohyun Yoon
Glass Tube
Date2012
glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes
Not on view
Marvin Oliver, Salish Clam Basket, 2008, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sharon Karmazin, 2021.28
Salish Clam Basket
Date2008
glass
On view
Killer Whale Hat
Date2002
blown and sand carved glass
Not on view
Ché Rhodes, Untitled, 2007, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Merrily Orsini and Frederick Heath, 2021.57A-D
Untitled
Date2007
glass
On view