In the current social climate, it’s important to stay informed and inspired, especially in a creative industry like ours. Revitalizing our creativity is key and we were lucky enough to view “southwestNET: Acid Baroque” at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. The work of Mexican-American painter Claudio Dicochea mixes important historical events and people with contemporary pop culture to bring forth the themes of gender, race, and class stereotypes seen in the media today. Using the Casta painting model as a framing device for his resolutely contemporary works, Dicochea re-examines the concept of mestizaje or mixed race identity and cross border topics.

“The depth and themes of Dicochea’s art are apparent right away. At first look, it’s very surface level, as I was trying to guess all the pop cultural references in the piece. But as I kept looking I would see past the bright colors and caricatures and see deeper historical relevance.”