Esperanza Concreta | Concrete Hope
Curated by Erika Hirugami
Santa Monica College Barrett Gallery
October 14, 2025 to May 10, 2026
The works that collide within Concrete Hope speak to the intricacies and complexities of belonging to a community of individuals united aesthetically by culture, transcending national boundaries. Concrete Hope features equal parts piñatas, abuelitas, cholos, tatuajes, virgencitas, mercados, rosarios, metates, petates, buganvilias, escapularios, veladoras, primas, primos, letreros, gente de nuestra comunidad, gallos, emblemas nacionales, ventanales, ladrillos, sobadores, pirámides, manteles, familia, y fotografías.
Concrete Hope’s aesthetic axis is the celebration of all things Brown, Mexican-American, Nepantlera, Mestiza, Indigenous, Chicanx, Mexican-Irish, Afro-Mexicana, Chicano, Latine, Undocumented, Oaxaqueñe, Yaqui, Migrant, Guatemalan-Mexican, Salvadoran, Mexipino (Mexican-Filipino), Chapin, Immigrant, Undoc+, and Jaxican (Japanese-Mexican), et. al., which stands as a reflection of self-affirmation of the lived experiences of the complex brown community in Southern California.
Concrete Hope brings together thirty-eight emergent photographers and lens-based artists from Southern California who explore an assortment of installation media as materiality for the photographic depictions.
