Written by: Alejandro Hernandez
Spring is in full bloom, and summer is almost officially here. And what better way to ring in the transition of the long cold winter into picturesque beauty than to bring people together to than host a party where people can come out to enjoy the vibes and flex their best outfits?
This is precisely what occurred on May 20th for Gente Fina’s Art Y Corridos, an art exhibition that celebrates la cultura by showing off the artwork of Michoacán artist Aldair Dosmil along with live corridos music from Nuevo Vuelo. Guests entering the space, located just across the street from The Plant Shop in Albany Park, were immediately greeted by a sprawling array of cacti surrounding the front entrance as if entering a portal that transported them directly to Mexico. Many people in attendance donned their best guayaberas and cowboy hat, and those with a keen eye may have even noticed some of Gente Fina’s unreleased Spring/Summer collection being worn by members of the team.
Nuevo Vuelo performed passionately front and center with a large, beautiful portrait by Dosmil hanging just behind them. This painting depicted Frida Kahlo holding onto the Blue Torito wrapped in a red blanket, bringing forth to mind parallels of La Virgen holding onto a baby Jesus. This small blue bull was the focus of this exhibition, as each of the paintings on every wall featured this signature character. In Dosmil’s artist statement, blue torito is explained has being an homage to his native Morelia, Michoacan, home of an annual tradition known as Petate de Torito, or the Festival of Dancing Bulls. The idea to fuse both musical and visual art that have such deep roots in Mexican culture came to Gente Fina owner Emmanuel Cabrera in a eureka moment.
“I was at an event where they had live corridos playing and art on the walls, so it just clicked,” he says. “I’ve known about Aldair’s work for years, so when I got the idea, he was the first one I reached out to and luckily he accepted it. His art is amazing, and I wanted corridos to be the center of everything because of how much it means to me. I can say the event has been a success with how supportive everyone has been.”
Truthfully, Art Y Corridos felt less like a formal, stuffy art gallery and more like a family party at your favorite tia’s house, creating an overwhelming and heartwarming sense of nostalgia. Guests intermingled with a sense of camaraderie akin to old friends, even if they were just meeting for the first time. The evening’s corridos soundtrack provided immaculate vibes, and serves to show the growing popularity of regional Mexican music making it’s way here in the States thanks to the next generation of artists like Peso Pluma and Junior H. Dosmil himself floated around the event talking to people in attendance, giving them a better sense of the man behind the vibrant and colorful paintings they gazed at with fascination and awe.
Listen to the Official Art Y Corridos playlist on Spotify
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Alejandro Hernandez is a freelance writer born and raised in Chicago. Growing up in the city gave him the sense of perspective that can be found in his work. With combined experience doing broadcast and written journalism, Alejandro has been actively documenting the stories of everyday Chicagoans for over 6 years.
IG: @drointhewind_
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Photographs by: Laura Lopez @Theartistmeansnothing & Alejandro Aguirre @idality_photography
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