Kansas City artists and curators Cesar Lopez and Kiki Serna joined stop-gap projects co-founder Fidencio Fifield-Perez for discussion about La Onda: a dynamic series of exhibitions focused on Latine/x heritage in the region.

Fidencio Fifield-Perez: Where did the idea for the exhibition, La Onda, come from? How did it begin?

Cesar Lopez: La Onda is a curatorial experiment that celebrates Latino heritage—not just as a single month in September. I just felt there needed to be more than one reminder per year of the multicultural spectrum we have to offer. Kiki Serna and I started the project together in spring of 2021. There have been many iterations of the exhibition at different locations in Kansas City and the Midwest—the show at stop-gap projects is the eleventh.

Kiki Serna: For me, the message behind La Onda is that our communities have many narratives behind them—some similar, some different. The act of collectively sharing and having conversations within these themes unifies voices and by extension will amplify the community. Having a migrating exhibit also creates a presence in spaces that may not always be curated to have these types of exhibits. 

FFP: The name of your organization and exhibition, La Onda, translates to “The Wave”. I’m curious because it evokes a visceral image, the language used to describe immigrants, but also positions the viewer to question. Can you tell me more about its meaning and significance? 

CL: The name is a reference to many different things. It can bring to the surface what connotations are associated with our people. In Spanish, the structure is more open ended and leaves room for interpretation. So for me, it has resonated with the development of younger artists and a new generation. For more context, “Qué Onda” is also something people say in slang to each other, as a greeting—like, “what’s up?” For me, this felt appropriate as a way of conveying who the artists are and how we know each other.

KS: The original conversation was about the “wave” or “ripple” and the idea of the wave being something that propels while gathering, pooling, and spreading. My interest was peaked with the idea of a wave of people or ideas that are shared and come from different directions but ultimately travel towards the same end while sharing interactions and movements. Allowing this terminology to create a parallel between the Latine/x and Immigrant experience being a shared experience but also vastly different. The term “La Onda” can also be that comedic relief that connects us through language and forms of expressions. 

FFP: Names and the act of naming something is powerful and the first step in either rectifying or healing something. Last question about the name… I can’t help but think about how there are no unaltered bodies of water in Missouri. Everything has been dammed and drastically altered by industrial forces, meaning this state has not been static and will potentially continue to change. What is it that the wave washes over, or reveals as the tide recedes? What forces move or determine the wave?

CL: Haha! Yes, I love this question. Projects and initiatives have a lifespan and we’re left with the memory of them. As an example, this series of shows is not the only one to carry this particular banner. It has happened before, and I remember wishing there were more of them. Although what remains for me is like what Lao Tzu says about water—that it can be fluid, soft and yielding while simultaneously will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield.

KS: Wonderful. We’re on the same page! Something to mention in regards to the group is that there’s comfortability and trust within the act of sharing. The conversations that happen during the shows and openings also peel back that layer where the similarities and differences between backgrounds can be talked about. 

FFP:Another misconception I grapple with is the idea that we simply don’t belong or are not present in the region. While certainly untrue, it reveals the many forms of looking and visibility that we jump through and navigate. To demarcate as a visible group becomes a powerful act, especially within Mid-Missouri. What is your goal or stance as the work of these artists comes together?
CL: My personal goal was to have something persistent.

KS: Similar to Cesar, I wanted to create something concrete and constant, while also having support that can help aid in branching out, or offering more opportunities to these artists, outside of La Onda. To create a propelling motion to push out more ideas and opportunities to continue the essential idea of having this work exist.
FFP: A couple of years ago, the Nerman Museum hosted the traveling exhibition Monarchs: Brown and Native Contemporary Artists in the Path of the Butterfly. This exhibition, like its name suggests, traveled along a specific route and picked up local artists to exhibit with the core of the exhibiting artists. This was the first time I thought about an exhibition, the act of putting up work, being a continuation of a value or as potent as the work within a space. Can you elaborate your thoughts on a migrating exhibition? 

CL: Yes, the idea of something migrating is kinda like “pedir posada” (for those who don’t know what I am talking about, it's like asking for lodging). My connection to this comes from celebrations in the motherland during holiday. Because, you know, baby Jesus needed to stay somewhere. 

KS: Igual! There are many acts of mirroring our own Latine/x existence through our art. I view it as well as an act of healing. The immigrant and Latine/x experience deals with so many forms of adaptation for survival. Similarly, many of us grow up to find comfort in the act of adaptation and I always view that as an act of healing. In relation to posadas, there’s also the act of passing the ball into other people’s courts: exhibit spaces, pop-ups, and institutions… having these stories and experiences in their spaces. Making those places our home for the month of two of each show.

FFP: Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, author of Undocumented Americans, articulates my current stance on the imagery aimed at representing Undocu folks: "butterflies can't fuck a bitch up." While confrontational, I see this as asking us to investigate our shared Latinx identity. Will we ever agree on what unites us? We can’t agree on a descriptor (Latinx, Latine, Latino or Latin) and certainly the imagery aimed to represent some of us. What identities unite the artists to this exhibition and what are some of the nuances or complexities?
CL: Oh yeeeah! This is a great question and I am not sure if I need an answer. For example, even when WE use the term LatinX—I get what we’re doing—but I personally don't believe that this term encompasses me specifically. Without getting into the nerdy, technical parts of Spanish, the structure of language is so touchy. I’ve even had people tell me that they reject all those terms and claim Mexica (which again, I am all for it). But for me personally, the terms don’t really solve the problems.

KS: I agree with the introspect of shared identities. To me it’s important to access those conversations through the work that’s displayed. The work is also a reflection of past, present, and future and so the unearthing of these terms doesn’t only focus on our current realities but by extension our past (families, origin included), and our future (where we want to be).

FFP: Kiki, we were in an exhibition together a couple of years ago sponsored by Charlotte Street Foundation. I left that opening feeling overwhelmed. I completely understood your work, I understood the materials, techniques, and can still picture the realization of our shared identity. It’s a feeling that rarely happens. I don't think this experience is always necessary to appreciate art, but to see your work and have it just click was profound. Putting that aside, are there any pitfalls to shows organized around identity? What conversations are you having before accepting an exhibition or selecting a roster of artists?

KS: That was such a great moment! I had the same reaction to your work and remember thinking  “¡¡dónde andas!!” I felt that strong connection and power in connection with so many of the other artists there and that moment was very unique.

Anytime you organize around identity you run into moments of pausing. Identity is so broad and even with my work there are times that I have to stop and move on to something different before returning. But, I agree, there are so many important facets to organizing shows like this. The sense of community, the collective, and the aspect of always returning to talk about each show and the work curated for it. There’s a collective sense of healing even when there’s pitfalls involved.

CL: Oh yeah, there are pitfalls and errors. But it doesn’t stop me from wanting to put something out into the world.
FFP:Thank you for taking time to sit with these questions and for allowing me to air questions I myself grapple with.