“Ni de aqui, ni de alla” How Frida Kahlo embodied the 21st-century 2nd-generation immigrant narrative. Following the recent and continual wave of mass-immigration fueled by the American Dream, the generation following such have asked themselves: “Who am I?” Growing up for any 2nd-generation immigrant in the United States brings several 21st-century challenges, most notably in the sense of identity. The phrase “Ni de aqui, ni de alla” (Neither from here, nor from there) has grown prominence as a way to verbalize the feeling of not belonging to either the United States or their family’s country of origin. This feeling can stem from many aspects, including but not limited to a language barrier, a lack of cultural understanding, or a conflict between cultural values and modern aspirations. For many Mexican-Americans of this group, there exists one figure who embellishes this sense of place: Frida Kahlo. Born in 1907, Frida Kahlo was not destined to become the face of Mexico and ...
On Focus: Rhode Island School of Art and Design Museum of Art's exhibit "Un/Settled" This is an outdated article, yet I felt necessary posting it for archival purposes. Un/Settled, currently open at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum until July 8th 2018, encompasses a wide variety of prints, drawings and photographs that promise a unique and intriguing exhibition to appease anyone. The exhibition works in conjunction with RISD alumni, and holds around ten differentiating art works on the topic of their birthplace from a globalized perspective. Taking inspiration from fellow RISD alumni Tia Blassingame’s novel Settled: African American Sediment or Constant Middle Passage, the exhibition follows a strict narrative of cultural identity through international dislocation with the inclusion of artists both from foreign and national areas. The exhibition is closely tucked away through the Modern and Contemporary New Mediums wing on the third floor, and as i...