Skip to main content
LATINO/A AMERICA
LATINO/A AMERICA
© Pedro Lasch. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.

LATINO/A AMERICA

Artist (Born in Mexico City, Mexico, 1975)
Date2003/2020
MediumMixed media installation
DimensionsDimensions variable
ClassificationsMixed Media
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2021.31.1
Label TextThis multi-year series consists of the distribution and presentation of a new map of the American continents. The words on these maps—“Latino/a” and “America”—acquire different meanings depending on context and reflect the deep impact of popular shifts in our culture. As Latino/a populations increase in the United States, any easy separation between “America” and “Latin America” becomes impossible. By alternately referring to itself as “America”, the US demonstrates its narrow understanding of what it means to be American, ignoring the numerous other countries and populations that have equal claim to this designation. The different versions of Latino/a America illustrate a common tie, the sharing of a new global understanding of identity and place, or “Latinidad,” that is redefining the English-speaking world. The meaning of “America” is changing, as well as what it means to be “American.”

The elements in the series exhibited here include selections from a printed body of work called Route Guides. The Route Guides function under the following premise: During different stays outside the US beginning in 2003, the artist gave identical maps to individuals he personally knew who would cross the US-Mexico border. The maps were the same size and folded so they fit in a purse or pocket. Each person would receive two maps: one for them to keep and one for them to mail back to the artist upon arrival at the final destination. Pedro Lasch has received over two dozen maps that show various degrees of exposure to weather, as well as wear and tear. The artist exhibits these maps in different groups and arrangements, but they are always accompanied by short texts that cite selections of conversations he has had with each migrant, immigrant, or traveler. The pairings of maps and texts are grouped as suites named after the final destination of the participants.

Participants in this exhibition are listed below (left to right).

Route Guides (#2: Arrival North Carolina), 2005/2008

Cornelio Campos (Mexico)
Antonio Viego (US-Cuba)
Roselia (Mexico)