Visualizing Latinx: Creative Practices in Fashion, Film, and Beyond

Visualizing Latinx elevates the stories of contemporary Latinx creators working in fashion, independent filmmaking, and public art who confront the systemic erasure of Latinx creativity. Arlene Dávila documents how these creatives strive to visualize their communities as a means of transforming society and asserting inclusion on their own terms. She highlights how these artists approach their work with purpose, intention, style, and ingenuity to showcase the value, joy, and complexity of Latinx identities. Looking to the academic sector as a sanctioning and uplifting force, Dávila also explores academia’s role in making Latinx histories and creative communities visible. By focusing on the inventive, transformative, and decolonial practices of Latinx artists and creatives, she argues that seeing and appreciating Latinx culture through visual media can be revolutionary in creating a more equitable and vibrant society for all.

Arlene Dávila is Professor of Anthropology and American Studies at New York University and Founding Director of The Latinx Project. She is the author of Latinx Art: Artists, Markets, and Politics and the coeditor of Nuyorican and Diasporican Visual Art: A Critical Anthology, both published by Duke University Press.