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Martin's Cincuentañera

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Photography by Edward C. Robison III.
Martin's Cincuentañera
Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

Martin's Cincuentañera

Artist (born 1978)
Date2018
MediumOil and mixed media on panel
Dimensions48 in. × 72 in. × 1 5/8 in. (121.9 × 182.9 × 4.1 cm)
ClassificationsMixed Media
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.81
Signedverso, u.r., in pencil: Shizu / Saldamando
Accession number 2020.81
On View
Not on view
Provenance(Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles, CA); purchased by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2020
Label TextGazing fiercely at the viewer from underneath a leather biker cap is Martin Sorrondeguy, also known as Martin Crudo, an icon of queer punk music. Blue waves cascade from his matching suspenders and waist, resembling the puffy skirts of dresses worn during quinceañeras, celebrations that mark a Latinx 15-year-old girl’s passage into womanhood. Here, Sorrondeguy celebrates a cincuentañera, a 50-year milestone that is significant for the LGBTQIA+ community due to sustained impacts of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, homophobia, and transphobia.

Mirando intensamente al espectador bajo una gorra de cuero de motociclista, se encuentra Martin Sorrendeguy, también conocido como Martin Crudo, ícono de la música punk queer. Olas azules caen en cascada desde sus combinados tirantes y su cintura, asemejándose a las faldas abullonadas de los vestidos que se usan en las "quinceañeras", celebraciones que marcan el paso de una joven latine de 15 años a ser una mujer adulta. Aquí, Sorrondeguy celebra una cincuentañera, el acontecimiento de cumplir 50 años que tiene importancia para la comunidad LGBTQIA+ debido a los efectos prolongados de la pandemia de VIH/sida, a la homofobia y a la transfobia.
Inscribedverso, u.r., in pencil: Martin's / Cincuentañera
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