This actually is a recent drawing.Edra Soto has an exhibition at the MCA. She asked a number of artists and friends to contribute drawings combining her face with the face of a gorilla. Most people followed the assignment, but, unfortunately, I can’t really draw, so I ended up with this:
Edra’s face is under there somewhere, truly.
Anyway, you can go to the MCA at the moment and see the original drawing, with many other more competent drawings of Edra as a gorilla and an amazing stage set constructed by Edra’s husband Dan if you happen to be in Chicago. Here’s Edra’s description of her show, open through June 28.
Soto’s installation, The Chacon-Soto Show, focuses on Iris Chacon, the charismatic Puerto Rican performer who starred in the 1970s variety television show El Show de Iris Chacon. Despite sexually provocative costumes and performances, the legendary diva became a popular family entertainer. Flamboyantly dressed and flanked by male backup singers and dancers, Chacon became a symbol of the liberated Puerto Rican woman. For this work, the artist analyzes issues of sexuality specific to Puerto Rican culture through the double filter of her adult understanding of US feminist issues and childhood memories of Chacon on television.
I see an ostrich in the middle of a prairie fire. But it's a beautiful ostrich in the middle of a prairie fire.
Do you know if the El Show de Iris Chacon is the inspiration for Doralis' show in Gilber Hernandez's Luba (in America) stories? Sounds like the same thing, more or less.
Hey Cerusee. I thank you and so does the ostrich.
Eric, I'm not sure. I bet she wasn't a singular phenomena, though. There were probably similar variety shows about.