Lost Throughout The Pages (Whispers of The Caballeros)

About

For Lost Throughout the Pages (Whispers of The Caballeros), the artist has created a new, inclusive archive of queer imagery, endeavoring to create an opportunity for others like himself to feel seen. The fifteen new works on view include and honor the queer BIPOC community, which has not been historically visible or represented. Pulgarín merges deconstructed queer archival images from the 1980s through the present day with aspects of his Colombian cultural identity, celebrating the two communities he proudly represents. Pulgarín uses the red, blue and yellow primary colors of the Colombian flag and patterns of textiles and weavings that reflect the ponchos and sombrero vueltiaos typically worn in Colombia and throughout Latinx communities. The collaged works are adhered to surfaces such as bamboo, acrylic glass, adhesive vinyl, and printed cyanotypes on fabric, paying homage to the way photography was presented in his childhood home—taped or pinned to a refrigerator, mirror, or religious statue. Pulgarín continues this tradition by veering away from the formal framed image to present his work in new ways.

As a teen, Pulgarín turned to queer photography as a way to make sense of and come to terms with his identity. He immediately became fascinated by the only queer images available to him at the time—beefcake images that represented liberation, yet were hypermasculine and centered and idealized white, athletic bodies. The artist became painfully aware that his larger body type and cultural identity were not represented. Examining the history of beefcake photography more closely, he felt emboldened to challenge its exclusive nature and homogeneous standard of beauty—standards the  queer community is still trying to unpack today.

“I was honored that Baxter St gave me this opportunity to further develop my practice and to work with a diverse and talented cohort of artists,” says Pulgarín. “I hope to inspire the next generation to add to the queer archive by representing their full selves so that we can constantly build on what it means to be queer in America. I want the viewer to walk away from this exhibition feeling comfortable with the ideas of reflecting, unpacking and challenging our histories in order to move forward as a community.”