Photo by Maria de la Paz Galindo
¡Te Amo Porque S.O.S. Pueblo!
Opening Reception: Friday April 25, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
When: April 25 – May 25, 2025
Where: Bronx Art Space, 700 Manida St. (Entrance in Spofford Ave)
Bronx, NY 10474 / 6 train to Hunts Point
Organized by: María Ponce, Marco Saavedra, Blanka Amezkua
Artists: Ruddy, Odalys, Itzi, Rigo, Gabriel, Marco, Alejandra, Aurelio, Elena, Mary, Cristian, Niceli, Talita, Odette, Katherine, Leslie, Dialekto, Jose Luis, Daniela, Sonia, Maria, MaryJose, Zenaida, Paulina, Margarita, Eufemia, Eugenia, Erika, Patricia, Cinthya, Tammy, Alexis, Blanka
RSVP HERE!
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The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center and the BronxArtSpace are pleased to present ¡Te Amo Porque S.O.S Pueblo!, an exhibition of works by immigrant artists who came to the US as undocumented minors and artists with a family history of crossing borders. This exhibition explores the creation of sanctuary through nourishment, ancestral spiritual practices, legal rights and community resources—affirming art as a means of survival. Co-curated by artists Maria Ponce, Marco Saavedra, and Blanka Amezcua, the exhibition will also serve as an information center with advice and resources provided by local organizations working directly with immigrant communities. ¡Te Amo Porque S.O.S Pueblo! will be on view from April 25 to May 25, 2025, at BronxArtSpace.
“We know that the only way to resist the hateful policies of 'enforcement through attrition' is by caring for our community with love,” Ponce, Saavedra, and Amezcua collectively shared.
The exhibition features works by more than 30 artists, whose last names are kept anonymous to ensure their safety: Alejandra, Alexis, Aurelio, Blanka, Cinthya, Cristian, Daniela, Dialekto, Elena, Erika, Eufemia, Eugenia, Gabriel, Itzi, Jose Luis, Katherine, Leslie, Marco, Margarita, Maria, Mary, MaryJose, Niceli, Odalys, Odette, Patricia, Paulina, Rigo, Ruddy, Sonia, Talita, Tammy, and Zenaida. The artists work in various mediums, including archival family photos, watercolor, embroidery, and screenprinting; some apply their craftwork and hobbies under the guidance of the curatorial team to create works of contemporary art for the first time.
¡Te Amo Porque S.O.S Pueblo! takes its name from the poem by the Uruguayan poet Mario Benedetti, “Te Quiero,” which translates to “I love you because you are my people,” with “sos” (“are”) stylized to highlight a state of emergency. Many of the works on view either document or reference the immigration process. Together, they emphasize love, sanctuary, and nourishment as a response to the current climate of hate, racism, deportations, and terror.
The exhibition is supported by The Clemente and LxNY as part of Historias, an expansive multiyear initiative charting the impact of Latinx communities in New York City. Spanning citywide cultural programming and scholarship, Historias serves as a living repository of interconnected histories—consolidating archival research, oral narratives, and multimedia storytelling to preserve and elevate Latine presence across the five boroughs.
BronxArtSpace will activate the exhibition with a series of community events, providing food, informational pamphlets, and legal advice on immigration and deportation to create a care network that outlives the gallery space. All events are open to the public and located at BronxArtSpace, 700 Manida Street, Bronx, NY, 10474.
EVENTS:
Opening Celebration
Friday, April 25, 2025
5:00 pm–8:00 pm
Food will be provided by La Morada restaurant, a mutual aid restaurant that first opened during the COVID-19 pandemic to serve the Bronx community.
Information Portal
Saturday, April 26, 2025
11:00am - 5:00pm
Organizations including Rapid Response, Plaza Proletaria, and the New York Legal Assistance Group, will be on-site to provide presentations, pro bono legal advice, and a guide to rapid response in the face of deportation.
Colectivo VOCES Presentation and Feast
Saturday, May 10, 2025
12:00pm - 3:00pm
Colectivo VOCES, a collective of Indigenous immigrant women from Guerrero, Mexico, will present a series of cookbook zines preserving Mixtec recipes that were previously passed along orally. The zines are a result of research conducted by Liana Collective as part of the Las Yerbas artist residency conducted at Canal Projects.
Closing Celebration
Saturday, May 24, 2025
5:00pm - 8:00pm
Participating artist Tu’un Savi and Mixtec poet Nadia López García will introduce #Quebrantoa, a poetry book by Marco Nieto about his migration from Oaxaca to the U.S. Food will be provided by La Morada Restaurant, a mutual aid restaurant that first opened during the COVID-19 pandemic to serve the Bronx community.
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About BronxArtSpace
Founded and opened to the public in 2010 as a space for art exhibits and performances, BronxArtSpace (BAS), a 501C3 organization, is a community-based organization committed to supporting local and often under-resourced artists, fostering projects that engage vital social, educational, and political concerns.
Through curating group exhibitions, offering a residency program for Bronx artists, and providing meeting space for artist-led workshops and community-based interest groups, BAS combines forces with similar non-profit organizations to enhance the cultural vitality of their immediate and extended neighborhood.
Located in the densest concentration of public housing in the US, BAS creates programs that represent and inspire its community. BAS works to ensure that Bronx-based artists comprise at least 45% percent of exhibiting artists, and that both women and artists of color are the majority of those presented through their programming.