El Disco Es Cultura
Adrian Martinez Chavez at Real Art Ways

Please join us on Friday, December 8th at 5:30 pm for an artist talk with Adrian Martinez Chavez on his exhibition El Disco Es Cultura at Real Art Ways.

Guests will have an opportunity to engage with the exhibition, while Adrian Martinez Chavez gives an overview of the works in show, discuss his progression of working with photography, and how his artistic practice incorporates time based media through films and the slideshows. The presentation of this exhibition is paired with both the audio of the kitchen and the music his father would be listening to while working. A DJ booth also becomes its own piece that draws from his family’s origins in Monterrey, Mexico and its Cumbia and Sonidero culture and history. This work is a mix of Cumbia music played live with vinyl records the artist has been accumulating from the Northeast of the US to South of Mexico. During his talk, Martinez Chavez will discuss the DJ booth and his relationship to music in relation with his family history and its place in Mexican/American culture. Guests will have the opportunity to learn more about the history of Cumbian music in relation to listening to the records through the booth.

Real Art Ways presents a solo exhibition by 2022 Real Art Award recipient Adrian Martinez Chavez.

Adrian Martinez Chavez’s El Disco Es Cultura explores Mexican culture in northeast United States.  The photographs and videos exhibited center around Adrian’s father, owner of Monte Albán Restaurant in Hartford, CT.  His work offers an intimate portrayal of immigrant labor and a celebration of his family’s history.

About the Artist

Adrian Martinez Chavez is an artist and DJ working in photographic, audio, and video mediums. Adrian’s work centers around intimate views of immigrant communities and daily life.  He received his BFA from the Hartford Art School and an MFA from the Yale School of Art. Adrian has been the recipient of multiple awards and grants from the Connecticut Office of the Arts, Greater Hartford Arts Council, The New York Foundation for the Arts and the Houston Center for Photography.  Adrian currently lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut.

About the Real Art Awards

The Real Art Awards is an annual opportunity for emerging artists living in New England, New Jersey, or New York. The open call, offered with no entry fees to artists, attracts hundreds of applicants each year, of which 6 artists are chosen. Selected artists receive a solo exhibition, with a commissioned essay, professional documentation, and a cash prize of $2,500. The 2022 Real Art Awards was juried by multidisciplinary artist Carlos Motta, curator and creative strategist Yona Backer, and Real Art Ways Executive Director Will K. Wilkins. The 2022 Real Art Awards is supported in part by awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Edward C. & Ann T. Roberts Foundation.