Celia Munoz Analysis

In the monograph, Celia Alvarez Muñoz by Roberto A. Tejada examines the prolific artwork of influential multimedia Chicana artist, Celia Alvarez Muñoz. Celia Alvarez Munoz was born in El Paso, Texas where she experienced the culture, linguistic, and historical clashes among the U.S. and Mexico border. She applies her Chicana identity and experience to illustrate both American and Mexican cultures. Tejada uses textual and historical analysis to examine and conceptualize her artwork. Moreover, he highlights Alvarez Muñoz feminist perspective, cultural background, political involvement, and innovative usage of cultural and symbolic artifacts that express her Chicana experience and the prevalent political social issues. Thus, Celia Alvarez Muñoz

In particular, Fibra (1996) and Fibra y Furia: Exploitation Is In Vogue (1999-2002) are mixed media installations that portray the mass exploitation, objectification, marginalization, and gender violence of women of color. It was created to critique the way mainstream society socialize women and constrict them to specific gender roles. For example, the clothing in the installation ranged from perverse toddler outfits to revealing prom dresses to depict the normalization of the hypersexualization of women. This installation is powerful because the artist is making a political statement about gender roles, gender violence, and inequality embedded in our society. She showcases the detrimental effects of oppression against women and how that leads to massive femicide. For instance, Tejada expresses that her installation was influenced from the inhumane brutal violence the women workers in Juarez experienced (Tejada, 71). Therefore, she added many elements like factual newspaper articles describing the injustices, violations, killings, and exploitation of women workers in Juarez. Furthermore, Tejada describes how the exhibition was meant to reflect all of the female victims who never received justice due to the corruption and violence ingrained in society (Tejada, 73). In other words, Alvarez Muñoz is creating awareness of the atrocities and femicide that occurred and continue to occur in Mexico that are directly linked to the U.S. It illustrates how society does not value women’s health and safety. Therefore, her installations are meant for viewers to discuss and acknowledge the extreme forms of gender violence that occur due to the hypersexualization and exploitation of marginalized women of