While in the 1970s Chicana/o art was largely defined by the prevalence of silkscreen posters and murals, the 1990s and early 2000s saw the emergence of digital art among Chicana/o artists. Los Angeles-based artist Alma Lopez has been at the forefront of this revolution. Her visually compelling, computer-aided montages have tackled deeply contested issues such as immigration, racism, religion, colonization, and queer identity, to cite just a few. In spite of being a talented painter and printmaker, with a BA and an MFA in art studio from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and University of California, Irvine (UCI), respectively, Lopez has gained most of her visibility from her digital media work. Scholars such as Luz Calvo and Reina Alejandra Prado Saldívar have identified Lopez’s art as a Chicana feminist visual discourse that thrives on the flexibility and dynamism of digital expression. This technology allows the artist seamlessly to combine preexisting imagery with her own original artwork and photography.
Excerpt from Herrera-Sobek, María, Guisela M. Latorre and Alma Lopez. 2007. “Digital Art, Chicana Feminism, and Mexican Iconography: A Visual Narrative By Alma Lopez In Naples, Italy.”
Journal of Mujeres Activas en Letras y Cambio Social 6(2): 68-91.
