Rasquachismo Exhibition, Huntington Beach Art Center

THE HUNTINGTON BEACH ART CENTER PRESENTS

RASQUACHISMO

CURATED BY LAURA BLACK

APRIL 6 – JUNE 1, 2024

The Huntington Beach Art Center is pleased to present Rasquachismo, a multi-media exhibition celebrating the aesthetics and transformative power of Lowriders. Featuring work by William Camargo with Alkaid Ramirez, Justin Favela, Stephanie Mercado, Arturo Meza II, Aaron Moctezuma, José Manuel Flores Nava, Juliana Rico, Alicia Villegas-Rolon, and Cora J. Quiroz. Emerging from the barrios of Southern California, lowriding brought forth a long resistance against the American Dream and dominant idealist norms that attempted to anglicize the young Chicanx individual. Forces of the Anglo-American culture did all it could to disrupt and omit the lowrider. From individual traffic stops to passing county-wide laws, all were attempts to take the lowrider off the streets. Low and slow, their metallic bodies transfigured in response. Now, unapologetically visible, lowriders glisten in candy-colored paint and dance with the aid of hydraulics. The power of lowriding extends beyond the car’s aesthetics, however. It has become a rasquachismo expression of Mexican-American, and, eventually, Chicanx identity.

1962 Red Impala with cacti printed on archival paper — 1962 Impala, 2022, relief print collage (digital composite), Ed. 25, 30 x 40″

Ride Eternity, (1960's Cadillac Hearse), 2023 relief printmaking collage (digital composite) 30 x 40" — Ride Eternity, (1960’s Cadillac Hearse), 2023, relief printmaking collage (digital composite) 30 x 40″

Ford Truck, 2022 relief print collage (digital composite) 30 x 40" — Ford Truck, 2022, relief print collage (digital composite), Ed. 25 30 x 40″

A vibrant artwork featuring architectural and cultural landmarks of Highland Park, Los Angeles — Highland Park, Los Angeles, 2023, relief print collage, 36 x 24″

an artwork of a 1963 volkswagen beatle — ’63 buggy, 2024, relief print collage, acrylic, glitter, resin on wood panel 11 x 14″

an image of a green work truck filled with tools in the back — ¡Dale! ¡Dale!, 2024, relief print collage, acrylic, glitter, resin on wood panel, 11 x 14″

an artwork of an impala filled with stuffed animals — Joy Ride, 2024, relief print collage, acrylic, glitter, resin on wood panel 11 x 14″

an artwork of an impala with plants and alebrijes — Night Shade, 2024, relief print collage, acrylic, glitter, resin on wood panel 11 x 14″

an image of an artwork with a cadillac hearse and plants — Soul Sleek, 2024, relief print collage, acrylic, glitter, resin on wood panel 11 x 14″

‘Rasquachismo,’ an exhibition celebrating the aesthetics and transformative power of Lowriders.

Huntington Beach Art Center
April 6 – June 1, 2024

538 Main Street | Huntington Beach | CA | 92648