A solo exhibition by Uruguayan-American artist Ana Vizcarra Rankin

Exhibition: October 12 – December 12

Gallery Hours:

Monday – Closed
Tuesday – 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday – 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Thursday – 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Friday – 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Saturday – Closed
Sunday – Closed

The CVA Gallery at Brookdale Community College, supported by the Visiting Artist Program, is proud to present Nepantla: Maps for Uncharted Futures, a solo exhibition by Uruguayan-American artist Ana Vizcarra Rankin, MFA. Organized around themes of place, post-coloniality and self, Nepantla: Maps for Uncharted Futures explores the idea that maps tell stories and convey subjective ideas about the world, often far beyond mere facts. This exhibit features Rankin’s large-scale world maps, such as Warm Acid Bath (2018, mixed media on cotton canvas, 60” x 96”), which, drawing inspiration from Uruguayan constructivist artist Joaquín Torres García, situate the Global South at the top. Alongside her Star Maps series, which depict the night sky at specific locations and times, these unexpected presentations of place pluralize the narratives that maps convey, disorienting viewers and opening new possibilities for considering the world and our place in it.

The title of the exhibit is inspired by Borderlands: La Frontera, the groundbreaking book by Tejana Chicana queer feminist poet, philosopher, writer and educator Gloria Anzaldúa. Anzaldúa uses the Nahuatl word nepantla to represent both the “in-between state” of Chicano/a/x people and to frame broader discussions of transversing and cleaving borders between race, class, nations, gender and sexuality.

The concept of nepantla acknowledges that this ‘in-between’ or third condition, which emerges between two fixed states, (for example, Chicana/o/x identity is neither Mexican nor American, it is a third thing, Mexican-American) can be a source of pain and othering, and a wellspring of strength and innovation. It is a source that inspires Rankin’s work, and shaped the vision for this exhibit, which emerged from conversations between Rankin and curator Elisa Elorza, about their lived experiences as a Uruguayan-American and a Mexican-American. It also led to the decision to include a never-before-exhibited self-portrait Ofrenda a Yemaya (self-portrait) (2012, oil on canvas, 24” x 36”).

Ana Vizcarra Rankin creates research-based perceptual art centered on mapping, data visualization, and our place in the universe. Born in Uruguay and raised in both South and North America, Rankin’s work has been widely exhibited and is part of notable collections, including the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Museum, the Brandywine River Museum of Art, and the Uruguay Cultural Foundation for the Arts. She has received numerous accolades, including a Project Stream Grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and support from Creative Capital x Skoll.

Rankin has participated in various international artist residencies, including TrueQue Artist Residency in Ayampe, Ecuador, the Barnes Artist Residency in Umbertide, Italy and Liliput Experimental in Puebla, Mexico. In addition to her studio practice, she is the founder of BrobDinGnag International, a curatorial exchange program focused on diversity and inclusion. She holds an MFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, a BA in Art History from Temple University, and studied architecture design at Oklahoma State University. Rankin is a faculty member at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington.

The mission of Brookdale Community College’s CVA Gallery is to provide free and equitable access to transformative art, design, and related programming. As an academic gallery within Monmouth County’s only open-access institution of higher education, the CVA Gallery serves as a foundational and impactful part of the community, offering inspiration and enrichment to all. Visit the CVA Gallery website for additional information and programming for this exhibit at https://www.brookdalecc.edu/center-for-the-visual-arts-gallery/ or email Elisa Elorza at eelorza@brookdalecc.edu for appointment or inquiries. For more information about the artist, please visit: http://www.avrankin.com/