Giovanni Valderas: Grit/Grind

Colette Copeland
December 2020

“Your Dreams Are On The Other Side of Grit”

–Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Got grit?
A bit of grit
Chock full of true grit
A grit mind strengthens
Grit your teeth
Grit and bear it
Grit it out
Strive to be the grittiest
A little grit in the eye
No grit, no pearl
Grits ain’t groceries
Grit and grace

Rise and grind
Every day is a grind
The grind includes Sunday
Grind while they rest
Grind hard
Grind now
Steady grind
Grind and graft
Grindin’, ya feel me?
You can’t cheat the grind
Action is the grind
Love the grind
Life is the grindstone

Grit and grind are part of the mythic American Dream. But what if that American Dream discriminates against you because of your skin color or country of origin or lack of a voice or invisibility? Giovanni Valderas’ sculptural installation Grit/Grind questions the assumptions of the American Dream and its implications of mobility and freedom. Valderas is best-known for his Casistas Tristes and ¿Quién manda? work that addresses gentrification and awareness about local municipal elections. His work illuminates the displacement and socio-economic disparity that is the reality for immigrant families. Valderas creates sculptures and signs from piñata materials and places them in public spaces to engage communities in dialogue.

Casita Triste 2018

¿Quién manda? 2017

The current work at the Nasher is a life-size replica of a 1986 Nissan Sentra–the first car his Guatemalan mother purchased when she learned to drive. Like his former work, it is made from piñata materials. The materials reference the artist’s cultural heritage, but also symbolize celebration. Owning a car represents success, achieving autonomy over one’s schedule, as well as not having to rely on public transportation, which is notoriously poor and unreliable in Dallas. A car may also represent a transient life style, providing a shelter and home when bills become unmanageable. Unlike a real car, the inexpensive, everyday piñata materials are vulnerable to the elements with a short life-span, like the car’s inhabitants.

Valderas’ work asks us to question what it means to be a good ally and neighbor, challenging us to take action. How can we make the grit and grind more equitable, perhaps lightening the toll for our neighbors?

Grit/Grind →

Nasher Public: Giovanni Valderas
Nasher Sculpture Center
Dallas, Texas
November 12 – December 6, 2020

◊

Colette Copeland is a multimedia artist, art educator, writer and social activist. She has volunteered with Traffick911 for nine years as an advocate and educator, spreading awareness about the sex trafficking of children in the DFW area. Prior to covid, she volunteered teaching dance therapy to incarcerated teens.
Colette Copeland’s website →