Exhibitions

JOHANA MOSCOSO: MACHERA FLOORS

Clough-Hanson Gallery (Rhodes College) / 2000 N. Pkwy September 7, 2019 - October 12, 2019

Johana Moscoso

Artist's talk: September 5, 6:00 in Blount Auditorium, Buckman Hall
Opening reception: September 6, 5:00 - 7:00
Exhibition on view: September 7 - October 12

Johana Moscoso’s Machera Floors are a series of large scale floor sculptures accompanied by process videos in which the artist and her peers dance Colombian cumbia and salsa over unfired porcelain tiles. The wet tiles, imprinted with impressions of the dancers’ heeled shoes, were fired, glazed, and re-assembled into large sculptural dance floors that archive dynamic expressions of the dancers' movements. The indelible impressions in Machera Floors embody the history of migration, which needs to be remembered and constantly retold in an America that tends to overlook the cultural assets and values created by immigrated populations.

Johana Moscoso is a Colombian-American artist who explores gender roles, culture, and migration, as well as co-narratives of South American and North American cultures, through multimedia installations. In her performance work, Moscoso replaces the traditional male leading role in Latin dance with female dancers, questioning and challenging the norm of gender roles in Hispanic society. She evokes intimate feelings that are better expressed through movements rather than words, creating performative installations that empower the feminine presence and celebrate culture and migration.