7/25/24- Antonio Lechuga Hasn't Forgotten Oak Cliff
The artist's "places of work, places of joy" and how "Street Views" came to be, plus his upcoming exhibit at Dallas's Latino Cultural Center.
“This is something I’m proud to do.”
This week, I sat down with Antonio Lechuga, a Dallas-based artist. His latest work, Street Views, calls attention to an ever-changing cultural landscape in Jefferson Boulevard, Lechuga’s home neighborhood, which has recently fallen victim to millennial gray and public volleyball courts.
“There’s a certain amount of labor,” Lechuga reminisces about the thrift shops and hair salons that lined Jefferson Boulevard in his childhood, “they benefit the entire community. They’d been in business quietly for decades.” In his upcoming show, which opens this Saturday, Lechuga pays homage to the community spaces that were forced to relocate or close entirely during Oak Cliff’s gentrification face lift.
What becomes of these previous hot spots for culture and community once they’re drowned by greed?
“The reasons why people want to move to these areas of Dallas… it ends up not being there anymore. The people who created that left. You’re already on a sinking ship,” Lechuga states solemnly. The cycle continues again, a bit of culture being lost each time. I took a moment to reflect on that, and the irony of these spaces often becoming places of gathering and art is not lost on me.
Even when faced with the grim future of the neighborhood he once called home, Lechuga remains generous.
“This is something I’m proud to do. There’s beauty there and you need to see it. That’s why I do this.” Street Views allows viewers a window into Oak Cliff’s past, and recreates the vibrant storefronts and facades with cobijas, or soft fleece blankets, which create a tender yet resilient collage.
“You go to a salon to feel better about yourself. You go to a shop to buy a dress for your quince. These things that they make, they make it for you.”
"I want to start a discourse”
Lechuga’s penchant for textiles also extends to his upcoming exhibit at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas, Flowers for the Living.
“It’s an offering. It’s a space for grieving to occur.” This piece, which will be approximately 100 feet long, is a blanket. It is covered in animals, patterns, religious iconography, and most notably, 647 flowers.
“Unfortunately, there has to be that number. That’s the number of people who died due to mass shootings in 2022.” Lechuga pauses for a moment. Admittedly, I freeze.
Two years ago, Lechuga was shot only minutes away from his studio in while on a jog. He was caught in the crossfire of gang-related violence, and was almost fatally injured.
“I could be included in that number. I should be. I should be dead.”
Lechuga says this piece is dedicated to the families of the victims of mass shootings.
“There’s plenty of flowers for the dead […] we don’t have any for the people that are still here, the people who still have to go through all this pain.”
The reception for Flowers for the Living will be held at the Latino Cultural Center on August 31st from 6-8pm.
You can catch Lechuga at this Saturday’s show Street Views, which will be held at Various Small Fires in Dallas from 6-8pm!
Thank you so much for reading, and a sincere thank you to Antonio Lechuga!
@lettucelook on Instagram
www.lettucelook.com
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I hope to see you all at Saturday’s reception.
Hugs and kisses and whatnot,
Paige
Ephemera DFW
@ephemeradfw on Instagram