The term rasquache, though once used as slang for bad taste, now encompasses a unique Chicano aesthetic.
From repurposing old butter containers to using a shoelace to fix something on a bicycle, rasquache uses resourcefulness to optimize what you have.
San Antonio Chicano scholar Tomás Ybarra-Frausto coined the term “rasquachismo” in his 1989 essay, Rasquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility.
Rasquachismo later became reflected in poetry, music, and visual arts fueled by the Chicano movement—it’s bold, elaborate, and rich.
The artistic influence of rasquachismo — and its feminist counterpart, domesticana — is now on display at San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum.
Rasquachismo: 35 Years of a Chicano Sensibility explores how rasquachismo has influenced Latino artists.
Ybarra-Frausto says rasquache art comes from scarcity and the predominantly middle- and working-class Latinos.
“When you’re not rich, you make do with what you have,” he said. “I began seeing that artists were using that. They were defining themselves; they became very assertive.”
Mia Lopez, the McNay’s curator of Latinx art, organized the exhibit.
She said rasquachismo has carried over to a new generation of artists.
“It’s this idea of the underdog perspective, sort of the Chicano/Latino response to camp and kitsch, as something that they want to celebrate and embrace and embody,” she said. “It’s an ethos.”
The exhibit features work from over two dozen artists that engage with a range of rasquache themes and ideas.
Tune in March 7 to tour some of the highlights from the exhibit.
