Queer Latinx Artists Counter the Myth of New York in Artishock Essay

An essay published by Artishock Revista examines how four queer Latinx artists—Félix González-Torres, Boris Torres, Carlos Motta, and Raúl de Nieves—negotiate their relationship with New York City, countering the glamorous, white, aspirational myth popularized by 'Sex and the City.' González-Torres (born Guáimaro, Cuba, 1957; died 1996) used minimalism to address love, loss, and the AIDS crisis, as in 'Untitled (Perfect Lovers)' (1987–1990) and 'Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.)' (1991). Boris Torres (born Piñas, Ecuador, 1976) emigrated to Brooklyn at age ten and explores queer desire, domesticity, and family in his paintings, including portraits of his husband filmmaker Ira Sachs and their twins. Carlos Motta (born Bogotá, 1978) excavates colonial archives in works like the 'Nefandus Trilogy' (2013–2014) and 'We Who Feel Differently' (2011–2012) at the New Museum. Raúl de Nieves (born Morelia, Mexico, 1983) creates maximalist, bead-covered installations, notably his 2017 Whitney Biennial piece. The essay argues that New York functions as both a site of exploitation and a necessary laboratory for these artists' practices, highlighting the mutual dependency between the city and queer Latinx creators.