Nicolás De Jesús : a Mexican artist for global justice

Growing up in Ameyaltepec—a Nahua village in Guerrero, Mexico—Nicolas De Jesús learned to paint on amate, a traditional bark paper used in Pre-Columbian maps and codices. Although he moved to Chicago in the 1980s, he never abandoned his indigenous heritage or techniques. This catalog, published to accompany the exhibition of the same title, examines three decades of his "poetically subversive" art. De Jesús makes colorful etchings on amate that comment on the complex issues facing immigrants in the United States and his concerns for preserving his cultural identity. The catalog includes works that address crises specific to very recent events in the United States, such as the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021; the repression faced by migrants and African Americans; and the COVID-19 pandemic.