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Two beautifully conceived and masterfully curated exhibits on view through the summer and beyond at the New Britain Museum of American Art (NBMAA) are built on deeply felt artist to artist homage.
Justin Favela uncovered works in the museum collection that he could respond to with new ones that expressed a Latinx spirit. Barbara Prey’s six large paintings from her series “Borrowed Light,” commissioned by the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, are placed thoughtfully in the gallery to accompany Shaker work objects.
The title of Justin Favela’s distributed exhibit, “Do You See What I See?” is derived from his collaborative work “Circus Circus Mirror Maze,” created with Las Vegas friend Mikayla Whitmore. Their sculpture with a pink and white maze patterned floor, mirrored walls and doorways, hosts a vast collection of plastic animals. The colors and title refer to the Las Vegas Casino Circus. Favela is mirroring another mirror-laden work in the museum collection. “Mirror Maze” by photographer/illustrator Walter Wick is one of many works by Wick in the museum collection. Wick’s “I Spy” book series was a favorite of Favela and Whitmore. It is a very playful and intricate way for one artist to say to the other: I see through your eyes, now see through mine. In a larger sense, that is what Favela is saying in all his works in this exhibit.
Coming from Las Vegas and of Mexican Guatemalan American heritage, Favela’s choice of hand cut piñata paper for his collage works is as brilliant as it is challenging to any remnant of media hierarchy left in our contemporary museums. Visitors enter a gallery where the walls are covered top to floor with a vibrant paper landscape. The effect is a 3D postcard with the title spelled out on the top of one wall, “CONERICOT.” The title is a play on a possible phonetic rendition of “Connecticut” when spelled by Latinos.
The effect is totally mesmerizing, like being inside a piñata turned inside out. The mood is festive, the colors are dazzling from any distance, and the images of palm trees, jungle and sailboats are all inviting. One can imagine the scents, sounds and music implied by each scene.