La Chola Poblete’s work is closely intertwined with performance and physicality. This is particularly evident in her series of staged photographs that explore themes of religion and mission in an extreme and intimate way. In particular, La Chola is preoccupied with the role the missionaries played in the colonization and oppression of indigenous people or non-confirming identities, along with the question of gender assignments. In the photographic works, the artist and “Elders” - Mormon missionaries – appear in different arrangements. Argentina was the first country in Latin America where Mormon missionary activities were initiated, over a century ago.
La Chola first encountered the “Elders” shortly after coming out, when she was around 19 years old. Brought up within the Catholic faith, she grappled with distressing panic attacks. In response to her tumultuous situation, her family embraced a heightened level of religious devotion, rendering the option of psychotherapy out of the question. This prompted La Chola to transition from Catholicism to an evangelical church, a religious denomination that continues to witness steady expansion across Latin America. Today, one in ten Argentines belongs to one of the evangelical churches; within lower socioeconomic strata, the figure escalates to 25 percent. In this setting, homosexuality remains classified as a transgression, carrying with it the notion that failure to change is a one-way ticket to damnation.
La Chola’s decision to depict the Mormons as an emblem of missionary endeavors extends beyond a singular rationale. In addition to its intrinsic significance, she also factors in their historical record of racism. From the mid-nineteenth century to 1978, the prominent Mormon institution, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, did not allow men of African descent to be ordained. Furthermore, individuals of Black heritage were restricted from engaging in most temple ceremonies. The prevailing Mormon perspective of that era depicted Blacks as non-believers. As descendants of Cain, they were subjected them to a curse that manifested through their dark skin. Yet the justification of white supremacy within Christianity, promoting the notion that individuals with fair complexions were inherently superior in matters of spirituality, intellect, and morality in comparison to those with darker skin, is also anchored in the Enlightenment.
Immanuel Kant partitioned humanity into distinct “races” and interwove this categorization within his discourse on “Physical Geography.” Regrettably, this classification was accompanied by a profoundly racist assessment: “Humanity exists in its greatest perfection in the white race. The yellow Indians have a smaller amount of talent,” the text reads. It further posits that Black people “are lower, and the lowest are a part of the American peoples.”
The idea, which was also widespread in Christianity for a long time, that the indigenous peoples or the colonial countries were “animalistic” and “primitive,” correlating their degree of proximity of animals with the darkness of their skin, is translated by La Chola into disquieting psychologically, mythologically, and politically charged scenes. This unsettling concept is manifested through scenes of considerable psychological and symbolic weight, exploring the intricate interplay of masculinity, femininity, and trans-femininity. Simultaneously, echoing the artistic approach of the African American artist Kara Walker, these compositions address “taboo” sexual and racist fantasies of both the colonizers and the colonized.
La Loba, 2023
In this artistic portrayal, La Chola portrays herself as the Capitoline she-wolf who, in ancient mythology, suckles the twins Romulus and Remus, abandoned as illegitimate sons of Mars, the god of war. When they grow up, they found a new city. They can’t agree on who should rule it, and Romulus slays Remus. The new city is named Rome in honor of Romulus, eventually giving rise to the Roman Empire. The “Lupa Romana,” or Roman she-wolf, serves as a symbol of the divine lineage of Romulus, the city’s progenitor, as well as the eternal claim of the city and the empire.
In La Cholas version, two Mormon missionaries suck milk from the breasts of the Indigenous she-wolf, drawing sustenance and deriving oral gratification. This imagery aligns with the iconic Roman Empire’s origins, where the nurturing she-wolf played an integral role. In a parallel sense, this symbol can be extended to echo the imperial aspirations of European nations during the era of colonization. These powers metaphorically drained their colonies, appropriating resources, art, culture, and food. At the same time, the she-wolf’s symbolism conjures up the the concept of “empire” articulated by the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben, which today stands for modern sovereignty and hegemonic claims to power.
El desollado, 2023
This photograph was printed on a T-shirt suspended from a mixture between an Andean spear and a clothes rack, referencing merchandising products in museum stores. La Chola stands naked in a slaughterhouse with sides of beef hanging from the ceiling and is skinned by a Mormon figure. This imagery opens up a plethora of interpretations. Once again, it alludes to the racist idea that the colonized are primitive “animals.” La Chola is skinned like cattle slated for slaughter. But the image is also an ironic reference to Argentina’s colonized culture. Cattle were introduced there by the Spanish in the sixteenth century and proliferated so rapidly on the savannas that there was a seismic shift in history and culture. Today, cattle breeding is one of Argentina's most important industries, with the nation holding a preeminent position in global beef consumption.
A look back at ancient Greece reveals another, deeper level of meaning. In mythology, the satyr Marsyas challenges the god Apollo to a contest featuring a flute and a lyre. In the musical showdown, Marsyas is defeated. The winner subjects his rival to harrowing punishment: He binds him to a tree and proceeds to flay off his skin, an agonizing ordeal detailed by Ovid in his writings. Marsyas’ brutal demise at the hands of the god of wisdom has stirred the Western imagination from antiquity to modernity. The flayed Marsyas evolves into an allegorical self-stylization of the visionary, Dionysian artist. Yet this narrative has broader implications. The duality inherent in the intellectual cosmos of the ancient Greeks—the realms of Dionysus and Apollo—establishes a foundational framework for contrasting concepts that continue to shape Western thought: untamed and refined art, the dichotomy between East and West, and the interplay between barbarism and civilization.
La virgen de la leche, 2023
A mysterious image: La Chola once more assumes the role of a maternal figure, this time manifesting as a nursing mother with her baby in her arms, evoking the “Maria lactans,” an emblematic Christian motif depicting the Virgin Mary nursing the Christ child. But in this rendition La Chola stands bare breasted behind the brightly lit display of a butcher shop. Rather than engaging in traditional nursing, she squirts a stream of breast milk into the mouth of a Mormon missionary kneeling in front of the counter. Recurrent in La Chola’s oeuvre, foods such as potatoes, chips, or beef are associated with the country’s history and tradition. In her work, foodstuffs symbolize creativity, art, history, spirituality, identity, collective and personal sustenance that satiate physically, mentally or spiritually. However, it can also be looted, commercialized, or destroyed. Again and again, La Chola’s works speak of alienation. It is not a baby who receives the milk, but an adult white man.
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La Chola Poblete
La Virgin de la leche, 2023
(Madonna Lactans)
La Chola Poblete’s work is closely intertwined with performance and physicality. This is particularly evident in her series of staged photographs that explore themes of religion and mission in an extreme and intimate way. In particular, La Chola is preoccupied with the role the missionaries played in the colonization and oppression of indigenous people or non-confirming identities, along with the question of gender assignments. In the photographic works, the artist and “Elders” - Mormon missionaries – appear in different arrangements. Argentina was the first country in Latin America where Mormon missionary activities were initiated, over a century ago.
La Chola first encountered the “Elders” shortly after coming out, when she was around 19 years old. Brought up within the Catholic faith, she grappled with distressing panic attacks. In response to her tumultuous situation, her family embraced a heightened level of religious devotion, rendering the option of psychotherapy out of the question. This prompted La Chola to transition from Catholicism to an evangelical church, a religious denomination that continues to witness steady expansion across Latin America. Today, one in ten Argentines belongs to one of the evangelical churches; within lower socioeconomic strata, the figure escalates to 25 percent. In this setting, homosexuality remains classified as a transgression, carrying with it the notion that failure to change is a one-way ticket to damnation.
La Chola’s decision to depict the Mormons as an emblem of missionary endeavors extends beyond a singular rationale. In addition to its intrinsic significance, she also factors in their historical record of racism. From the mid-nineteenth century to 1978, the prominent Mormon institution, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, did not allow men of African descent to be ordained. Furthermore, individuals of Black heritage were restricted from engaging in most temple ceremonies. The prevailing Mormon perspective of that era depicted Blacks as non-believers. As descendants of Cain, they were subjected them to a curse that manifested through their dark skin. Yet the justification of white supremacy within Christianity, promoting the notion that individuals with fair complexions were inherently superior in matters of spirituality, intellect, and morality in comparison to those with darker skin, is also anchored in the Enlightenment.
Immanuel Kant partitioned humanity into distinct “races” and interwove this categorization within his discourse on “Physical Geography.” Regrettably, this classification was accompanied by a profoundly racist assessment: “Humanity exists in its greatest perfection in the white race. The yellow Indians have a smaller amount of talent,” the text reads. It further posits that Black people “are lower, and the lowest are a part of the American peoples.”
The idea, which was also widespread in Christianity for a long time, that the indigenous peoples or the colonial countries were “animalistic” and “primitive,” correlating their degree of proximity of animals with the darkness of their skin, is translated by La Chola into disquieting psychologically, mythologically, and politically charged scenes. This unsettling concept is manifested through scenes of considerable psychological and symbolic weight, exploring the intricate interplay of masculinity, femininity, and trans-femininity. Simultaneously, echoing the artistic approach of the African American artist Kara Walker, these compositions address “taboo” sexual and racist fantasies of both the colonizers and the colonized.
La Loba, 2023
In this artistic portrayal, La Chola portrays herself as the Capitoline she-wolf who, in ancient mythology, suckles the twins Romulus and Remus, abandoned as illegitimate sons of Mars, the god of war. When they grow up, they found a new city. They can’t agree on who should rule it, and Romulus slays Remus. The new city is named Rome in honor of Romulus, eventually giving rise to the Roman Empire. The “Lupa Romana,” or Roman she-wolf, serves as a symbol of the divine lineage of Romulus, the city’s progenitor, as well as the eternal claim of the city and the empire.
In La Cholas version, two Mormon missionaries suck milk from the breasts of the Indigenous she-wolf, drawing sustenance and deriving oral gratification. This imagery aligns with the iconic Roman Empire’s origins, where the nurturing she-wolf played an integral role. In a parallel sense, this symbol can be extended to echo the imperial aspirations of European nations during the era of colonization. These powers metaphorically drained their colonies, appropriating resources, art, culture, and food. At the same time, the she-wolf’s symbolism conjures up the the concept of “empire” articulated by the Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben, which today stands for modern sovereignty and hegemonic claims to power.
El desollado, 2023
This photograph was printed on a T-shirt suspended from a mixture between an Andean spear and a clothes rack, referencing merchandising products in museum stores. La Chola stands naked in a slaughterhouse with sides of beef hanging from the ceiling and is skinned by a Mormon figure. This imagery opens up a plethora of interpretations. Once again, it alludes to the racist idea that the colonized are primitive “animals.” La Chola is skinned like cattle slated for slaughter. But the image is also an ironic reference to Argentina’s colonized culture. Cattle were introduced there by the Spanish in the sixteenth century and proliferated so rapidly on the savannas that there was a seismic shift in history and culture. Today, cattle breeding is one of Argentina's most important industries, with the nation holding a preeminent position in global beef consumption.
A look back at ancient Greece reveals another, deeper level of meaning. In mythology, the satyr Marsyas challenges the god Apollo to a contest featuring a flute and a lyre. In the musical showdown, Marsyas is defeated. The winner subjects his rival to harrowing punishment: He binds him to a tree and proceeds to flay off his skin, an agonizing ordeal detailed by Ovid in his writings. Marsyas’ brutal demise at the hands of the god of wisdom has stirred the Western imagination from antiquity to modernity. The flayed Marsyas evolves into an allegorical self-stylization of the visionary, Dionysian artist. Yet this narrative has broader implications. The duality inherent in the intellectual cosmos of the ancient Greeks—the realms of Dionysus and Apollo—establishes a foundational framework for contrasting concepts that continue to shape Western thought: untamed and refined art, the dichotomy between East and West, and the interplay between barbarism and civilization.
La virgen de la leche, 2023
A mysterious image: La Chola once more assumes the role of a maternal figure, this time manifesting as a nursing mother with her baby in her arms, evoking the “Maria lactans,” an emblematic Christian motif depicting the Virgin Mary nursing the Christ child. But in this rendition La Chola stands bare breasted behind the brightly lit display of a butcher shop. Rather than engaging in traditional nursing, she squirts a stream of breast milk into the mouth of a Mormon missionary kneeling in front of the counter. Recurrent in La Chola’s oeuvre, foods such as potatoes, chips, or beef are associated with the country’s history and tradition. In her work, foodstuffs symbolize creativity, art, history, spirituality, identity, collective and personal sustenance that satiate physically, mentally or spiritually. However, it can also be looted, commercialized, or destroyed. Again and again, La Chola’s works speak of alienation. It is not a baby who receives the milk, but an adult white man.
Further artworks from this exhibition
La Chola Poblete: Guaymallén
Pop Icon, Holy Virgin, Pachamama: La Chola’s Vírgenes Watercolors
Hard rock, Rolinga, Ballroom: La Chola Poblete’s Banner Installation
Materiality, Metaphors, and Opposites
Playing with Cultural Expectations: La Chola Poblete and the Nazca Lines
Venus papas lays, 2023
Venus Cacharos, 2023
The Striped Column: A Tribute to Freddi Mamani Silvestre’s Neo-Andean Architectural Style