Friday, September 27
6:00 – 9:00 pm
Indianapolis Liberation Center
Suggested Door Donation: $5 – 10
Political activist and documentary filmmaker Toni Cade Bambara said, “As a culture worker who belongs to an oppressed people my job is to make revolution irresistible.” This quote perfectly encapsulates Carlos Sosa, the artist we are proud to feature in September’s installment of our Fourth Friday series, “Unleashing the Creativity of the Masses.” Sosa’s talent created the logo for the Fonseca-Du Bois Gallery powered by Arte Mexicano en Indiana and invited us to work cooperatively through art for a better Indianapolis.
We are also pleased to announce the local chapter of Midnight Riot will to lead the first in a series of community art-builds. We will learn the basics of screen printing and sewing techniques to make a quilt that will be displayed in event spaces throughout the city. This is an introductory workshop with no previous skills required with the goal for the people to explore their inner artist as we explore the significance of quilting and textiles as a medium. Through this workshop Midnight Riot will strengthen community through the creation of a collective art piece.
To make revolution irresistible, a task which Sosa achieves seemingly effortlessly, the artist must develop their craft in the public eye for public critique. The work must be tested and have the ability to inspire us to act and intervene together in the daily challenges of our lives. With a honed skill set for crafting captivating visual narratives, building successful brands, and elevating projects to new heights, Sosa inspires audiences and leaves a lasting impression.
Sosa introduces his contemporary interpretations of Latin American cultural imagery into his work—such as Latin American ceremonial traditions, pre-Columbian tribal petroglyphs, ornamental pottery symbols that pull the past into the present moment. Sosa knew community leader Bryan Fonseca, who we honor through the name of the gallery. Sosa will present on his art and dear friend Fonseca so we better understand why he deserves to be remembered for his contributions to the arts in Indianapolis.
Sosa brings together important aspects of his world to express his ideas about the complexity and uniqueness of the multicultural environments in which we live. The work celebrates this through hand-drawn and digital imagery, texture, color, patterns, and layers. Much of the visual vocabulary applied to this work is also a direct result of Carlos’ interaction with urban art from his childhood in the Bronx and 1960s-70s television and comics. Art has always told stories to Sosa, and his goal is to pass those and new narratives to his children and his audiences. His mission is to help audiences reflect on and to celebrate the many layers of community, love, hope, and the inevitable revolution for better days ahead.
Featured image: Carlos Sosa standing behind Bryan Fonseca at a dinner party. Credit: From the personal collection of Carlos Sosa.
