Casita Maria presents the solo exhibition leftovers by Bronx-based Puerto Rican and Peruvian multidisciplinary artist and food writer Alexis Marie Montoya, on view in the Casita Maria Gallery March 21 – August 16, 2024. The exhibition features a series of 16 artworks collaging imagery from food, fashion and lifestyle magazines to explore the connection between food, culture and Latinx identity. A free opening celebration will take place on Thursday, March 21, 2024, between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. in the Casita Maria Gallery at 928 Simpson Street, 6th floor, Bronx, NY 10459. Attendees from across New York City and beyond are welcome to meet the artist, view the work, and enjoy refreshments and DJ music by Delaceiba.
The exhibition leftovers by Alexis Marie Montoya, includes 16 collage artworks that honor identity and the intersection between food and culture in the Bronx and Latinx communities. The title is multi-layered referring to the food that remains after we cook a meal, the artist’s process of reusing materials found in the home and the charged emotions of homesickness experienced during and post-pandemic surrounding food traditions and family gatherings. In the Gallery, the work will be juxtaposed into two spaces: the kitchen and the family (domestic space) with images of restaurants and bodegas (public space). To invoke feelings of nostalgia in the viewer and represent cultural pride, the artist uses imagery of common Latinx ingredients like Sazón and comfort food such as arroz con gandules. Montoya’s work is influenced by impressionist painter Francisco Oller (Puerto Rican, 1833–1917). Oller’s painting, The Wake, 1893, is an authentic depiction of a celebration of life for a child and the inspiration for Montoya’s Pasteles, 2024. In this piece, Montoya celebrates the tradition of making Puerto Rican pasteles during the holidays as a family. As a whole, the exhibition journeys from images of hope created during the pandemic to depictions of celebrating family traditions in person post-pandemic to provide comfort to her Bronx Community.
The exhibition also furthers the Gallery’s role as a teaching tool. This year, educational programs will focus on new ways to learn to express and celebrate oneself through the arts while exploring the theme of food, culture and identity. Montoya’s work, which is informed by art history, pop culture, and her personal narrative is the perfect vehicle to achieve this goal.
Funding for leftovers is provided by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs through the Cultural Development Fund.
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About Alexis Marie Montoya
Alexis Marie Montoya is a Puerto Rican and Peruvian multidisciplinary artist and food writer born, raised, and based in the Bronx. Her work examines the intersection of food and culture, especially in the Bronx and Latinx communities. Alexis is a former line cook, food educator, and organizer who leans on her experience to inform her artistic practice. Montoya earned a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations and a minor in Visual Culture from the Rochester Institute of Technology in 2017. She was a BronxArtSpace Artist-in-Residence in 2023. Her artwork and food writing can be seen across publications like Bon Appétit, Edible Bronx, and more.
Artist Statement
Where abundance meets excess, leftovers appear. Too much, too full – a meal to enjoy again later. Leftovers enhance over time, are made anew, forgotten, discarded. Inspired by the Bronx, where food insecurity fuels a culture of creative food solutions, ignites a diverse culinary palate, and inspires a highly sought-after food scene, the leftovers series is a visual hallmark of this reality and that of the artist, Alexis Marie Montoya.
The leftovers collage series began in 2021 born from a desire to connect Montoya’s passion for food in a new format. A tired essential worker, Montoya’s urge to return to the arts was fueled by genuine love and exhaustion for working with, cooking, and eating food. Using the stacks of food magazines in her home, Montoya created visual expressions of her reality living in the Bronx and working in kitchens across New York City through collage art.
Website: alexismariemontoya.com, Instagram: @alexismontoya_
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About Casita Maria Center For Arts & Education
Casita Maria Center For Arts & Education is the first and oldest Latino 501(c)(3) charity in NYC, founded in 1934.
The South Bronx-based community arts and educational organization presents diverse, contemporary visual and performing arts and education programming for all ages.
Casita Maria creates a safe and welcoming community, enriching and uplifting youth and families towards success, through shared cultural, art and educational experiences and programs.
Location:
Casita Maria Center For Arts & Education
928 Simpson Street
Bronx, NY 10459
Tel.: 718-589-2230
E–mail: info@casitamaria.org
