Photo credit: Hugo Ivan Juarez Alatorre
Have you ever put everything into one room? is a performative act by HIJ in which he reallocates everything from his artist studio at SAIC into the MFA Exhibition. HIJ’s story during his time in Chicago is one of a nomad exploring different places in the city, of a human interacting and connecting with strangers in a time when it did not feel safe to do so. During the past two years, the only constant space HIJ could be found in was his studio. It is in this space that he put everything into: ideas, artworks, books, chairs, ephemera, materials for creating, food for substance, vulnerability, kindness as a form of labor, and his body.
Photo credit: Hugo Ivan Juarez Alatorre
Photo credit: Hugo Ivan Juarez Alatorre
The MFA Show is traditionally the culmination of the master’s degree artists. It is a highly anticipated event by artists that display their best works in a white cube with hopes that they will show their families, loved ones, peers, mentors, and recognized members of the art world their talent. HIJ chooses to suffocate the traditional whiteness of this space by moving everything from his studio into it. He covers the walls with the most traditional studio element: Kraft paper as an homage to the constant sources of inspiration for creativity and the need to experiment with them. It is also a form of pointing out that as a member of a global minority, he is constantly put into these white spaces as something that does not traditionally fit in when in reality, browness is everywhere.
Photo credit: Hugo Ivan Juarez Alatorre
HIJ also chooses to activate the space by being present for a studio visit throughout the exhibition. For him, time and caring are some of the most important values he brings into his studio. By booking an appointment, he offers time to talk about his works, time to view the exhibition together, time to catch up, and time to perhaps laugh, cry, or forget the darkness the pandemic has offered. He offers time to share an experience.
Photo credit: Hugo Ivan Juarez Alatorre