Scavenging For Narrative

Author/Artist Name

Jesus Gallegos MorenoFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Spring 4-14-2023

Artist Statement

rowing up in a “rancho” (small farming village) in Durango, Mexico, I only learned one way to “live”: to move forward relentlessly, no matter how many barriers slow you down along the way. Some of the people in the village were stuck at a standstill in their life, with no clear ambition or trajectory on the horizon. With increasing stagnation surrounding me, the world I saw outside of that small village was so incredibly big and vibrant, with so many experiences just waiting to be lived.

I strive to show my way of life as a scavenger, using everything that has ever been around me, even the otherwise discarded experiences, to propel me and my work forward. All of my work displays a passion for narrative that has continuously pushed me toward Cinema and filmmaking as an art form. The thematic elements in Vulture Pictures also acknowledges and exhibits my diversity and experiences as a first-generation Mexican immigrant. The layout and placement of this display attempts to enclose you within the world of Cinema inside the gallery space­—to facilitate an immersive visual experience.

In Latin America, the things that you cherish the most are often inexpensive and ephemeral, but the wonderfully bright colors of these items is what gives them life. Using the traditional Hollywood movie poster style as a framing device, I strive to use color in a similar way to the items that might be found in a “puesto” (street vendor booth) to elevate my small-budget posters into something more memorable and meaningful than those of cinema’s new blockbusters. Vulture Pictures is the culmination of every skill and experience that I have had in my life, whether Typography, Photo Manipulation, Cinematography, Photography, Illustration, or Branding. I hope that through having my viewers question their knowledge of the foreign world by sincerely presenting rural Mexico I can aid in connecting them to another culture; Is your world anything like mine?

Inspired by Rik Bracho’s use of a wide range of typography and unconventional pairing of Type, my static media explores the duality of feeling Mexican but being more American. Yolanda M. Lopez’s use of classic, culturally rich imagery found in Mexico inspired the approach I took to my subject matter. The dynamic media was primarily inspired by Adam Grabowski’s experimental techniques in motion graphics. I tried to subtly address important contemporary narratives affecting Mexicans, such as “Illegals,” some microaggressions, and ALMO’s “Hugs not Bullets” policy.

While creating this exhibition I was able to explore my past, and the current situations affecting Mexicans and Chicanos alike. I am proud of the unorthodox combination of media I have explored, and the narratives that I am providing a platform for. My work tells a story—my story: my experiences, my viewpoints, my emotions—all to show you how I have viewed the world by way of original photography from my rancho. Through showcasing my perspective to broaden your cultural viewpoints, I want to spark your interest in the differences that culture can inform your interpretation of the world around you; The world right in front of you.

Advisor/Mentor

Gregory Scott Cook; Cintia Segovia Figueroa; Zbynek "ZB" Smetana, Ph.D.; Timothy Martin

Description

In my Senior Exhibition, I wanted to combine both of my passions. Graphic Design and Film, using the Movie poster as a medium to talk about the culture of my hometown in Mexico, my life as immigrant and Mexican culture in general. Over winter break, I went back to hometown for Christmas and New Years, and I took as many photographs as I could to use for my show. I used the photographs in my poster and zine designs. Overall, the concept of the show was to brand a independent "new age" film company similar to A24 by creating an identity (name, logo, colors, statement, imagery and movie intro) to display on original videos, posters, zines, stickers, and kinetic posters. The videos are a short film talking about displacement as a Mexican American in both worlds, a short documentary about my mom and sisters struggle in the US, and an exquisite corpse style video that features old videos that I made in Middle School, High school or even while in College (showing my passion for film as artform).

In terms of Graphic Design, the posters are all designed to be different genres of film that all cover different narratives in the cultures mentioned before. They don't give the viewers full context but just enough to get them want to watch the movie (or this case just want to learn more about those cultures). The zines and stickers were just meant to support the films or reinforce the brand as well as showing off my illustration skills and additional photographs taken not used in the posters.

Photo Credit

Photo credit, Abby Kyle and Myself, 2023

Recommended Citation

Gallegos Moreno, Jesus, "Scavenging For Narrative" (2023). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 112.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/112