'Phantom Sightings: Art After the Chicano Movement'

DELILAH MONTOYA

Born in Fort Worth, 1955

Lives and works in Houston

and Albuquerque

AS a teenager in Omaha, I remember going to my high school teacher and very defiantly telling her, "I'm a Chicana artist!" She looked at me and said, "There's no such thing." So I was going to prove to her that yes there is. Later when I entered the academic world and tried to find Chicano art, I was coming up really empty-handed. I found that we were in the process of inventing ourselves. So my art had a lot to do with the self-inventive nature of the Chicano Movement.

I always feel like I'm still emerging, like I'm just breaking out of the gate somehow. It has to do with the way creativity works. You always have to question yourself and the things around you. It keeps you on the edge of always trying to understand.

What is occurring now is that we're getting this new [immigrant] generation that is bringing more life into the culture. They're re-Hispanicizing us. It's our otro yo [other self] that is coming to join us. That means the culture is always changing; it's a living culture.

JUAN CAPISTRAN

Born in Guadalajara, 1976

Lives and works in Los Angeles

Ipersonally have never called myself Chicano, which to me was like a dated term. It seemed to be something that happened in the '60s and '70s but didn't have anything to do with me because of where I was growing up and how I grew up. It just seemed like something far away from me. I grew up in South-Central L.A., pretty much around African Americans, and I had an affinity toward black culture as opposed to my own culture. My parents are a traditional Mexican family, but I gravitated toward other cultures just to find my place here.

A lot of my work references popular forms of music, and subcultures that surround music. I'm also a DJ, so I'm interested in the art of remixing or appropriation. The music allows me to have these multiple points of view, where I'm not tied down to one singular identity. It kind of opens up the dialogue.

Being in this show is like a homecoming. I've had more success outside of L.A., so it's always good to be part of a big historical show in your hometown.

RUBÉN ORTIZ TORRES

Born in Mexico City, 1964

Lives and works in Los Angeles