Utopian Cannibal.Org

Inscriptions

Signed, in graphite, on last page, lower right: Enrique Chagoya'00; numbered, in graphite, on last page, lower left: 7/30

Label

Enrique Chagoya contends that history is “an ideological construction made by those who win wars.” Utopian Cannibal.Org provides a counter visual narrative that includes potent, even offensive imagery. In this work, he employs the visual language of satirical cartoons and juxtaposes pre-Columbian traditions, American popular culture, and Western secular and religious iconography in the format of the Mayan codex, read right to left. The Spanish burned nearly all of these pre-Columbian books upon their arrival in the 16th century. Chagoya pictures a range of icons from Barbie, Che Guevara, and Mao Zedong; to stereotypical renderings of various racial and cultural identities; to scientific imagery and scenes of violence. He describes how Western cultures “fed off of the creative output of their less powerful conquests” in a process the artist calls “utopian cannibalism.” Utopian Cannibal.Org reverses this process so we cannot distinguish who “the other” is. Chagoya does not think art can radically change society but hopes it can participate in conversations that initiate change.

From the 2020 exhibition Reconstitution, curated by Jessica Hong, Associate Curator of Global Contemporary Art

Course History

ARTH 16, Mexican Art, Mary Coffey, Fall 2012

ARTH 16, Mexican Art, Mary Coffey, Fall 2012

SART 17, Collage: Bridging the Gap, Esme Thompson, Fall 2013

SOCY 7.2, Race and Ethnicity, Emily Walton, Spring 2014

SOCY 7.1, Race and Ethnicity, Emily Walton, Winter 2015

SART 76, Senior Seminar I, Brenda Garand, Winter 2015

ARTH 48.06, LACS 32, Borderlands Art and Theory, Tatiana Reinoza, Spring 2019

LATS 41, Latinos in Media and Arts, Douglas Moody, Spring 2019

LATS 7.02, Latinxs in Media & Arts, Douglas Moody, Winter 2020

SPAN 7.02, Mural Art in Mexico, Douglas Moody, Spring 2021

SPAN 7.02, Mural Art in Mexico, Douglas Moody, Spring 2021

LATS 03, Introduction to Latino Studies, Marcela Di Blasi, Fall 2021

SPAN 20.02, Writing and Reading: A Crtitical and Cultural Approach, Israel Reyes, Winter 2022

ARTH 40.04/LACS 30.09, Mexicanidad, Mary Coffey, Winter 2022

HIST 87.01, Culture and Identity in Modern Mexico, Bryan Winston, Winter 2022

Latin American/Caribbean Studies 47.01/History 83.01, 20th Century Latin America, Thamyris Almeida, Winter 2023

Art History 40.05, Latino Studies 12.01, Print the Revolution, Mary Coffey, Spring 2023

Art History 40.03, Latin American and Caribbean Studies 20.11, Art and Politics in Latin America, Mary Coffey, Fall 2023

Art History 40.03, Latin American and Caribbean Studies 20.11, Art and Politics in Latin America, Mary Coffey - OPEN HOURS, Fall 2023

Art History 40.03, Latin American and Caribbean Studies 20.11, Art and Politics in Latin America, Mary Coffey - OPEN HOURS, Fall 2023

Art History 5.01, Introduction to Contemporary Art, Mary Coffey and Chad Elias, Winter 2024

Exhibition History

Reconstitution, Dorothy and Churchill P. Lathrop Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, January 2, 2020 - June 20, 2021.

A Space for Dialogue 69, Art in Motion: A Deeper Look at the Animated Figure and Its Presence in Contemporary Works, Kayla Gilbert, Class of 2012, Homma Family Intern, Main Lobby, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, March 31-May 13, 2012.

A Space For Dialogue 9, Consuming Life: On the Ideals of Beauty and Assuming Identity in a Culture of Fear, Paula Bigboy, Class of 2003, Curatorial Intern, Main Lobby, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, December 14, 2002-January 12, 2003.

No Laughing Matter: Visual Humor in Ideas of Race, Nationality, and Ethnicity, Harrington Gallery Teaching Exhibition, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, in conjunction with the Humanities Institute, Leslie Center for the Humanities, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 6-December 9, 2007.

Publication History

Paula Bigboy, A Space for Dialogue 9, Consuming Life: On the Ideals of Beauty and Assuming Identity in a Culture of Fear, Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 2002, ill. p. 3.

Angela Rosenthal and David Bindman, No Laughing Matter: Visual Humor in Ideas of Race, Nationality, and Ethnicity, Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 2003, p. 3, ill. cover.

Brian P. Kennedy and Emily Shubert Burke, Modern and Contemporary Art at Dartmouth: Highlights from the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2009 p.187, no.199.

Kayla Gilbert, A Space for Dialogue 69, Art in Motion: A Deeper Look at the Animated Figure and Its Presence in Contemporary Works, Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 2012, p. 4, no. 5.

Angela Rosenthal, ed., with David Bindman and Adrian W. B. Randolph, No Laughing Matter: Visual Humor in Ideas of Race, Nationality, and Ethnicity, Hanover, New Hampshire: Dartmouth College Press, 2016, cover ill.

Provenance

Charles M. Young, Fine Prints & Drawings, Glastonbury, Connecticut; sold to present collection, 2002.

This record is part of an active database that includes information from historic documentation that may not have been recently reviewed. Information may be inaccurate or incomplete. We also acknowledge some language and imagery may be offensive, violent, or discriminatory. These records reflect the institution’s history or the views of artists or scholars, past and present. Our collections research is ongoing.

We welcome questions, feedback, and suggestions for improvement. Please contact us at: Hood.Collections@dartmouth.edu

Subjects