For artist Marcel Pardo Ariza, representation matters
Its a sunny Sunday afternoon in San Franciscos Mission District a welcomed reprieve from the more-frequent chilly, overcast, windy and rainy conditions in the city this time of the year.The warmer weather translates to people being out and about, stopping by popular local establishments such as Bi-Rite Creamery and Market, Dog Eared Books, and Tartine Bakery, and basking in the warmth at Mission Dolores Park.Another go-to spot, adjacent to the neighborhoods bustling Mission and Valencia streets, is an alley, with its lure being multitudinous, diverse murals on buildings walls and residences garage doors.Its the Clarion Alley Mural Project, or CAMP, and its where Oakland-based visual artist Marcel Pardo Arizas call to action mural Hire Trans Folks resides.One of my favorite things about the Mission is the resistance movement behind it, and how murals can be so political, Ariza said in a Google Meet video interview with the Bay Area Reporter.Arizas mural, a nod to the same-named campaign they launched with the citys Transgender District, is located on the right-hand side when entering from Valencia. Its colors hues of orange, yellow, and brown are bold; its all-capital-letters statement, HIRE TRANS FOLKS, is centered and large; and its accompanying message (also in all caps) Create trans friendly workplaces, provide gender affirming healthcare, professional development, all gender restrooms, fair compensation, job security, use correct pronouns, prioritize Black and Brown folks is succinct.Its really about, if people want to support trans people, hire trans people, right? Give us resources, a stable income, job security, health care all of these things that make it so that trans people can exist and thrive, Ariza said, adding, [a]nd it doesnt have an exclamation mark at the end its not necessarily a demanding thing. Its just kind of like, Hey, you can just do this, too?Ariza, who identifies as queer and trans, was one of 38 local artists and poets selected to contribute their work to Manifest Differently, a multi-site exhibition that interrogate[s] the history of Manifest Destiny and its legacies of inherited and perpetuated violence, trauma, and addiction, and the outgrowth of resistance and resilience giving fire to movements for social/culture change, as described on CAMPs website.They were like, We want to have your voice here, Ariza said about CAMPs interest in including them in the project and having their work featured on Clarion Alley.The eight-month project wrapped up in April 2024, with the murals themselves, such as Hire Trans Folks, longer-lasting, still viewable (albeit with some graffiti) on the small alleys sides as of January.Aware of the figurative murals throughout the alley, Ariza, 33, wasnt sure what the public response to their calligraphy-leaning piece would be when they completed it in August 2023, thereafter on display for all to see and read.I didnt know if it was going to be a good fit, but a lot of people have had really good things to say about it. Ive had so many people take selfies in front of it, they shared.For the trans community, the mural is a visual affirmation of both community and necessities, while also pointing to ongoing issues.So many trans folks resonate with what it says, because weve all faced workplace discrimination in one way or another. So I feel like it just hits this place of realizing, Oh, its not just me, they said.Artist Marcel Pardo Ariza poses in his studio in front of framed photographs depicting their friends and kin in different positions, some of them hugging. Photo: Salimatu AmabebeAriza, whos represented by OCHI Gallery, gravitates toward constructed photography, site-specific installations, and public programming that center on telling the stories of impactful and often-underrepresented queer individuals deserving of the spotlight and remembrance.To me, its important to make work that enters our history, because trans people of color have been left out of our history for so long. And I really feel like culture is where history happens, so if were not there, were kind of remaining invisible, they explained.An artists rootsFor Ariza, life has involved learning how to respond to environments in which theyve found themself.They spent their childhood in Botog, Colombia in a very Catholic environment; in the 1990s, i.e. the heyday of their youth, the country was rife with political instability and violence.I mean, theres still some [violence], but at that time, there was just a lot, they recalled about the decade.Their parents, whom they described as more theater people and teachers, used art as a means of resistance, imparting a way of being on young Ariza.I felt they kind of taught me this idea of joy in the midst of a constant crisis, Ariza shared.At age 16, Ariza left home for school in Costa Rica, taking their belongings and that life lesson with them. From there, it was onto North America, where they enrolled in undergraduate courses at Earlham College, a private liberal arts school with an underlying Quaker ethos in Richmond, Indiana. The city is home to over 35,000 residents, with about 79.9% identifying as white, according to the 2020 census.For Ariza, those initial years in the United States brought awareness.I was like, This is the U.S.? This is kind of wild. And I think it was one of the first times that I felt bothered in that way of being a Brown person, a queer person. I had a thicker accent back then, and so there were all these microaggressions of like, if I had to make a phone call, people would be like, I cant understand you, and hang up the phone and things like that, Ariza said.But spending four years at Earlham also meant they were able to make connections with people whose backgrounds and identities differed from theirs as well as with the minorities who lived in the city.Ariza said, It made me realize that I like building bridges with people who are different from me. And I felt kinship between me walking in an Indiana town with other queer people or other immigrants was so strong. I was like, Oh, this is very special when you connect with other people who feel the way that you do.About the latter individuals, they added, When we think about those places [i.e., a small town in a conservative state], we forget about the people who are deciding to stay there or dont have the luxury of moving out of there or creating resistance movements. And I thought that was so powerful, because all of the odds are really against them.Post-college graduation, Ariza moved to Brooklyn, New York, busying themself with gallery and art-handling work.I was just working under the table trying to get my [immigration] papers in order, they explained.During their time in New York City, a major portion of the Defense of Marriage Act was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, in the United States v. Windsor case (2013), ruling that DOMAs section three was unconstitutional that the federal government cannot discriminate against gay couples to determine federal benefits and protections.It was the first time that same-sex couples from different nationalities got federal benefits. I remember during that time, people were having conversations about whether or not same-sex marriage should even exist. It was also happening within the queer community. And so I always was like, Oh, this is really interesting, because for an immigrant queer person, this is a really life-changing policy, Ariza said.Ive been kind of dealing with immigration for 14 years now, and you realize those small victories do have an impact on so many people, they added.Finding community in San FranciscoIn 2014, Ariza made the trek from one coast to another to work on their masters degree at San Francisco Art Institute, a private contemporary art college (it closed in 2022).When I came to San Francisco, it was the first time that I felt like I met so many queer people, they said.They lived in the Mission, embracing and being embraced by the citys LGBTQ+ community and experiencing personal growth as an artist and individual.At that time, one of my friends got top surgery, and I was also just kind of coming to terms with my own transness, and the Bay just artistically became such a good home for me. The community here is amazing. Everyones lifting each other up because its so hard to stay, they said, referring to how expensive it is to live in the area.During those initial years in the city, they found a supportive infrastructure in the form of other LGBTQ+ creatives, including Julie Tolentino, a queer Filipinx-Salvadoran interdisciplinary artist, and Tolentinos partner, trans artist and performer Stosh Fila, also known as Pigpen.They kind of took me under their wing, and it was the first time that I had queer mentors. I was with older queers who didnt have kids, who were artists, and my mind was just sort of blown away. I didnt know that existed, shared Ariza.Tolentino is currently a visiting associate professor of the Practice in the Brown Arts Institute at Brown University. Shes also the co-founder of Clit Club, the legendary queer and sex-positive Friday night party held in Manhattans Meatpacking District in the 1990s, and appears in erotic photographs in Madonnas Sex book (1992).In an email to the B.A.R., Tolentino and Fila described Ariza as friend, family, future with contagious energy.Through encounters with their art, the projects they organize, and the width of friends and community they are deeply invested in, you cannot help but feel pulled into their fold, they wrote.As they do in all of their work and the queer/trans/gender-expansive beings who are their subjects and their inspiration, Marcel hones in on fierce poetics: visible and invisible sensual embodiments, the jagged lines of sex, labor, class, race, difference, alt worlds, and abilities. Their art highlights, processes, goes public. They reframe the notion of the document. They open themselves to anothers mark, imprint, scars historicizing and transforming the collective, Tolentino and Fila continued.Making their mark as an artistSince their move to the Bay Area, Ariza has had their work featured in art hubs such as the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jos; McEvoy Foundation for the Arts (closed in 2023); Palo Alto Art Center; San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries; and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Their pieces have also garnered various accolades, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts 2022 SECA Award, an annual recognition bestowed to Bay Area artists.The SECA Award gave Ariza the opportunity to exhibit their installation, I Am Very Lucky, Very Lucky To Be Trans (2022), in SFMOMA. It featured photographs that Ariza had taken of 33 Bay Area trans, intersex and gender-nonconforming changemakers, creatives, and leaders, including Honey Mahogany, the executive director of the San Francisco Office of Transgender Initiatives and the co-founder of the SF Transgender District.In an email to the B.A.R., Mahogany, a Black trans person, reflected on her first time working with Ariza, which was for a photo shoot with legendary drag artist Juanita MORE! in front of San Francisco City Hall.The photo was taken at the end of [President Donald] Trumps first term and is still one of my favorite photos of myself. It spoke to our pride, defiance, and strength as a community, as well as our hope for the future, she wrote.For Mahogany, Arizas art is an affecting tribute to marginalized communities.In many ways, Marcels work has been a much needed celebration of who we are as trans people, queer people, people of color, immigrants The work is beautiful and feels urgent and important at the same time. I am so very proud to be trans, and so very proud to be included in Marcels work, she commented.Mahogany and Ariza have connected for other happenings, such as the Trans Leadership & Caring Futures panel in 2023, with Ariza as the organizer and moderator and Mahogany as one of the featured participants.Ariza has also worked with MORE! in the role of curator for Juanita: 30 Years of MORE! at San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries, which the B.A.R. had previously reported. It was an honor to be acknowledged by the San Francisco Arts Commission and my community for my 30 years in drag. It was also incredible to share my story while I am still here to tell it, stated MORE! in an email to the B.A.R.She holds Ariza and their curating skills in high regard, noting that partnering with them for Juanita: 30 Years of MORE! was a positive experience.[It] was a joy because we love and respect each other. Marcel dove into the project with great enthusiasm. Over the years, I accumulated so much stuff that narrowing down what we would be showing was tough. Working with Marcel made that a lot easier. They possessed the ability to create something extraordinary by seeing my world through their own eyes and conveying it beautifully and uniquely. Id be thrilled to work with Marcel anytime, MORE! commented.Paying tribute to the past in the presentSan Francisco isnt considered the LGBTQ+ capital of the world without reason. With queer neighborhoods like the Castro; nightlife staples like El Rio, the Stud, Jolenes, the Lookout, Oasis, and Mother; and organizations like the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, El/La Para TransLatinas (of which Ariza is an advisory committee member), and LYRIC Center for LGBTQQ+ Youth, its a city that has a lot to offer in terms of socializing, inclusive spaces, and resources.What we have here is so special thats why so many queer and trans people come here. The fact that we go outside, that we can look at each other, we can flirt, we can be public I feel like we sometimes forget how special it is and how many liberties we get to have here, commented Ariza.For them, the queer history of the city is an ever-important consideration, and their artwork, such as All the Nights We Got to Dance, intentionally shines a spotlight on it. The site-specific multimedia installations opening coincided with the GLBT Historical Societys 39th anniversary, with both celebrated at Living History, an event held in April 2024.Ive loved working with the GLBT Historical Society, working with their archives, seeing how much of where history has happened in San Francisco, they said.All the Nights We Got to Dance appears in the ground floor window of a hotel in the Transgender District (in the Tenderloin). It features replicas of signs from iconic San Francisco LGBTQ+ venues and bars, such as the Lexington Club, Finocchios, and Aunt Charlies Lounge.In an email to the B.A.R., Roberto Ordeana, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, described Arizas installation as a breathtaking celebration of queer and trans resilience and joy.By honoring historic spaces that shaped San Franciscos LGBTQ+ nightlife, Marcel has created a poignant tribute to community, memory, and the vital cultural legacies of these venues, he wrote.Ordeana, a former San Francisco arts commissioner, also touched upon Arizas larger contributions as an artist.Through their art and activism, Marcel has profoundly impacted the LGBTQ+ community, elevating stories of intergenerational connection, collective care, and cultural resistance. Their work invites us to reflect on the past and inspires us to cherish and protect the spaces where our community and stories thrive, he commented.Culture makerIn 2023, Ariza was able to obtain a U.S. passport. It was a meaningful accomplishment for them and a source of inspiration for their art.Now that I finally have my passport, I feel this sense of relief, but I also feel like now I can say certain things or do certain work about trans migrants, when I feel like were just being a target all over again. So it just feels like crazy timing, they explained.Arizas currently working on a solo show that will open in August, during Transgender History Month, at Galera de la Razas 16th Street studio in the Mission.Its really exciting, because Galera de la Raza is one of the most important art spaces for Latinx artists. So many amazing Latinx artists have shown there since the 1970s. So Ive always wanted to do that, and it felt like the right time to reach out to Ani Rivera to do this project, Ariza said.Rivera did not respond to a request for comment.Arizas show will center on uplifting trans Latinx immigrants and creating culture with them.My goal for the show is to visualize a lot of people who I feel like are part of the trans community in San Francisco, that maybe are undocumented, monolingual, asylum seekers and to give them a place to know that theyre not struggling with all these things alone, they shared.But thats not their only aim for the project.I want someone who is coming from Latin America, Ariza said, to see this show as a way of being like, Oh shit. Its possible to be here. Its possible to cross the border to fight for who you are and to really become who you want to be without being afraid of losing your life.Queer resilienceThe new year brings new leadership, locally with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie replacing London Breed, and nationally with Trump returning to the Oval Office and former President Joe Biden ending his term. Inevitably, changes loom.For Ariza, the past serves as evidence that the LGBTQ+ community will meet whatevers to come head-on.The day after the election, I went back to look at all my queer history books, and I was like, Weve gotten through different times before, Ariza said.They continued, It is an insane time; they do want us to be afraid. But I grew up in a place where we would have car bombs going off in the city all the time, and I just refuse to live in fear. Im like, F*ck no. Were here. Lets fight it off. So I feel hopeful.Pride is a protest after all.This story is part of the Digital Equity Local Voices Fellowship lab through News is Out. The lab initiative is made possible with support from Comcast NBCUniversal.The post For artist Marcel Pardo Ariza, representation matters appeared first on News Is Out.
