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Vol. 71 No. 26 | June 27, 2018 southphillyreview.com
Pawns in their game
GRACE MAIORANO/ South Philly Review
A Philadelphia Magic Gardens patron walks through “Down Below: A Reaction to Our Times,” by Latin American artist Ornella Ridone. Ridone uses discarded clothing of Mexicans to depict their country’s flag. Visitors walk over the artwork, representing Americans’ perception of being superior to Mexico.
I
understand that we live in a time when every issue is likely to divide us into two tribes – one for President Donald Trump, the other against him. I don’t like it, but I am doing my best to live with that reality. On one issue, though, the question remains, have we finally reached a moral breaking point in America? When it comes to this Administration separating children from their parents and placing them in chainlink cages, are there enough of us to cry out, “no more!”? If we can finally put aside our partisan bickering just this once, we can redeem our country from the shame that is enveloping us. Do we have the guts to stand together and force the White House to end its heinous policy? We have reached moral breaking points before in this country. We became convinced that the price for winning the war in Vietnam was not worth it after seeing a photo of a child racing down a street in flames from one of our napalm bombs. And we said, “Enough!” During the civil rights movement, we saw Alabama Sheriff Bull Connor use fire hoses and dogs on protesters that included women and children. And we said, “Enough!” We saw photos of tortured and abused prisoners at Abu Ghraib. And we said, “Enough!” See CARDELLA, page 4>>
Tom
Cardella
Common thread: By Grace Maiorano SOUTH PHILLY REVIEW
O
n a sunlit afternoon last week, twinkling mosaics glinted in the curious eyes of a bustling crowd, as several visitors zigzagged through the eclectic indoor and outdoor galleries of the Philadelphia Magic Gardens.
Exhibit at Philadelphia Magic Gardens encourages visitors to re-examine Mexico relations
Approaching the first room, tourists were unsure whether they should walk upon a tattered creation, entwined with red, white and green clothing, that was sprawled across the floor. The folks didn’t take more than a few moments to make a decision, as the piece had seemingly been walked over every day. But, little did they realize, their action was emulating a much larger concept.
In PMG’s latest exhibition, “Down Below: A Reaction to Our Times,” Latin American artist Ornella Ridone uses a concoction of textiles to illustrate North Americans’ perception of Mexicans falling geographically, culturally, economically and morally below the rest of the continent, according to Ridone. “We really believe in giving artists freedom to See DOWN BELOW, page 9>>
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