Exhibition
Exhibition
In November 2018 we launched exhibition From Latin American Stories to Victorian History: Building Bridges at No Vacancy Gallery, Melbourne. Over two weeks (15-25 Nov 2018) the exhibition celebrated the wonderful impact of the Latin American community on Victoria, as well as its achievements and deeds, assuring ongoing legacy for next generations. Through Social Pinpoint the Latin American community in Victoria helped us determine who and what was included in the exhibition.
Exhibition curators: Yunuen Pérez and Antonio González / Photography: Sissy Reyes / Video: Juan Chacon
15-25 NOVEMBER 2018 | NO VACANCY GALLERY | 34-40 JANE BELL LANE, QV BUILDING
More than 200 members of the community, representing fourteen Latin American countries, were part of the exhibition. The exhibition comprised:
14 Photographs | 11 areas of contribution | 30 objects | 1 video
The 2016 Australian Census recorded more than 30,000 Latin American-born people living in the state of Victoria, of whom more than one third arrived in the last decade. Victoria is not a destination usually associated with migration from Latin America. We naturally think of the United States, Canada, and Europe as the homes of the Latin American diaspora, and so for many still, it may come as a surprise that Victoria (and Australia generally) is an increasingly popular destination for Latin American people to study, travel, work, and live. This is no anomaly though. The twentieth-first century has brought economic and social shifts in the global order with profound implications for Latin America, including its strategic and economic relevance to the Asia Pacific region. Correspondingly there has been a rapid paradigm shift in Australia’s approach to Latin America. Whereas historically the region was considered remote and unrelated to Australia, over the past decade we have seen new diplomatic relations emerging, Australian universities seeking to attract Latin American students (Victoria alone has seen a 400 per cent increase in a decade to over 15,000 students), investment in mining and other business sectors expanding (Victoria’s two-way trade with Latin America exceeded A$1.8 billion in 2016-17), and a growing fascination amongst Australians with Latin American food, music, dance, language, culture, and travel to the region. On many of these fronts, the state of Victoria has played a pioneering role in building bridges with Latin America. This exhibition celebrates the extraordinary contributions of Latin American people in the state of Victoria. Across diverse sectors and industries – music, dance, art, literature, gastronomy, festivals, volunteering, education, science, business, sports, and the public sector – we are fortunate for the enriching presence and input of Latin American people in Victoria.
Dr. Elizabeth Kath, social scientist and author of Australian-Latin American Relations: New Links in a Changing Global Landscape
PHOTOGRAPHS
@Sissy Reyes, Photographer, 2018
Festivals and Folk Dance.
Full of intangible values and meanings, the Latin American festivals that dot the Victorian landscape, not only sell culinary delicacies but also recreate folk dances, promote poetry and showcase a variety of craftworks. They are celebrated using the concept of a ‘Latin American’ culture. Through these festivals, Latin Americans in Victoria recreate their culture, weaving magical realism and enriching our, at times, earthbound Anglo-Victorian sensibilities. This is who we are as Victorians. We are comfortable in our diversity. We are thankful that Latin America is a substantial part of who we are through our dance, song and festivals (fragment of the original text).
Dr. Georgia Melville, intangible heritage professional and museum curator.
Education and Science.
Since the early 2000s, Latin American students coming to Australia for study have been a critical driver for strengthening Australia – Latin American relations. In fact, since 2001, Australia has earned more than $13 billion in fees and goods and services from Latin American students who have come to Australia for education purposes. The active involvement of Latin American professionals and scholars have been pivotal to deepening Australia’s bilateral trade relations, including research collaboration, academic exchanges and institutional partnerships – there are more than 400 active agreements between Australian and Latin American institutions (fragment of the original text).
Ángel Calderón, Education expert.
Music.
Music from Latin America is as diverse as the different cultures within the different countries. The musical contribution of the Latin American community in Victoria has been remarkable for the different folk groups formed throughout the years to maintain the culture and the roots alive. Victoria has many stories of formidable Latin American musicians to tell. From salsa and tropical bands to contemporary fusions of Latin folk, funk, jazz and hip-hop. From classical music and opera to the most mesmerising tangos and boleros. But, above all, Latin American musicians are bringing new flavours and experiences to enrich the Victorian music scene (fragment of the original text).
Carlos Colina, journalist and broadcaster.
Organisations.
As Latin Americans in Victoria, we are fortunate because the pioneers who, for the last four decades, have cemented the path that we now walk, established and consolidated a strong community in Victoria through the creation of a series of organisations. Through these organisations, Latin Americans maintain their languages and proudly teach them to those who want to learn. We gather around them not only to celebrate our national days but also to promote our music, dance, art and culture, and share our unique way of enjoying life, in Victoria . In the diaspora, organisations become the anchor that makes us feel a part of something, that we are not alone, that we belong (fragment of the original text).
Soraya Caicedo, journalist and broadcaster.
Professionals and Business Owners.
For a minority group in Australia, Latin Americans are making an outstanding contribution to this country, helping it to be stronger, richer and fairer. In this group of 18 professionals, we have a great kaleidoscope of Latin Americans who have tirelessly contributed to the physical, mental, social, health and economy of Victorians, in a short time. They have built cultural bridges on several fronts. While some work in established industries in Victoria, such as Commercial Archaeology, Insurance and Film Exhibition, others have contributed to Victoria by starting their own business in Food and Hospitality. This is the real meaning of cultural diversity. They are all contributing to building a stronger Victoria than the one they found on arrival (fragment of the original text).
Dr. Víctor del Río, strategist and researcher.
Public Sector.
Exercising influence in the public sector is certainly one of the hardest accomplishments to achieve, especially for a community that has been historically under-represented in Victoria, such as the Latin American community. Notwithstanding, several Latin Americans have made and are making significant and wide-ranging contributions to Victoria’s public sector. Some of them have been here for decades, like Uruguay-born Telmo Languiller, Victorian M.P. since 1999 and the first Latin American-born to enter Parliament. Others arrived more recently, but their impact has been felt across different areas of policy. They are also instrumental in shaping Victoria into the twenty-first century, contributing to overcoming the challenges of our state (fragment of the original text).
Rafaela López, community historian and social researcher.
Gastronomy.
The state is home to Australia’s oldest chain of Mexican restaurants, its biggest importer of Mexican foods, and its largest producer of tortillas. Mexican cuisine is the most established of the several distinctive gastronomies, but a new wave of immigrants in recent decades are proudly introducing their national cuisines. There are stylish Peruvian restaurants where you can ceviche. Colombian and Venezuelan venues will be pleased to serve their arepas; while restauranteurs from Chile and Argentina, will offer you empanadas. Latin American chefs and entrepreneurs are eager to showcase their national cuisines and proudly share their cultures with other Victorians (fragment of the original text).
Dr. John Sinclair, sociologist.
Arts.
Without a doubt, the most prominent Latin American artist in Victoria is Chilean-born Juan Dávila (arrived in Australia in 1974), who has widely exhibited his work in Australia and overseas. The artists present in the photograph are a testament to Victoria´s multicultural society – they come from diverse origins and work in different disciplines (theatre, illustration, painting, sculptures and textiles). They have contributed to the development and diversity of the arts not only in Victoria but also in Australia at large, by showing their work in respected galleries across Victoria and Australia and working in established cultural institutions, thus following the wake of Juan Dávila (fragment of the original text).
Dr. Antonio González, art historian and curator.
Volunteers.
Moving away from our countries of birth and our families comes with many challenges, particularly the sense of loneliness and homesickness for our families, culture and nations. It is always challenging to build and expand your social network and finding employment opportunities. You have to start from zero. One way in which you can overcome these challenges is by becoming a volunteer. This photograph illustrates the stories of some volunteers who are participating in the following areas: supporting fellow migrants while responding to the needs of the community, social services, health, mentoring, community development, counselling and communications among others (fragment of the original text).
Angélica Correa, founder of Refuge of Hope.
Sports.
As the sports capital of Australia, Victoria (and more particularly Melbourne) has been at the heart of the various this Latin American communities’ contribution. They have contributed evenly to all sports, from Australian Rules football, Melbourne’s great obsession, to association football/soccer, the symbol of multiculturalism in Australian sport, to swimming, an endless source of national pride. They have served the wider community, organising events for youth and contributing to the overall health of the public. They have faced challenges on and off the field. However, their commitment and perseverance are matched by their achievements (fragment of the original text).
Dr. James Barry, anthropologist and sports fanatic.
Villalobos Langford Family.
The story of the Chilean Villalobos Langford family originated when Carlos and Jeanette arrived in Australia in 1987 with their six children: Carola, Daniel, Katherine, Carlos, Jessica and Jonathan. After a short stay in Perth, Carlos drove his family in a Holden Commodore station wagon to Melbourne. The Villalobos family has flourished and prospered, and their members are also heavily involved in passing on Chilean traditions through the Melbourne-based folk-dance group Violeta Parra (teachers Jonathan and his wife, Estelle). The Villalobos family is now four generations strong since their arrival in Australia, growing more prominent, more talented and loving every day (fragment of the original text).
Carrillo Barajas Family.
Carlos and Roberto love travelling and in 2008 while on holidays in Australia, they fell in love with the country. They decided to migrate permanently, and five years later, in February 2013, Carlos and Roberto arrived from Mexico. Although they initially settled in Sydney, they moved to Melbourne soon after. They enjoy the diversity of cultures that make up Victoria’s multiculturalism. While Carlos works as a Supply Chain manager for Australia’s leading freight forwarding company, Roberto works in Driscoll’s Australia as a Planning manager for Australia and New Zealand operations division. Like many other Latin American young professionals, they have contributed enormously to their industries.
López Hernández family.
Gabriela arrived in Melbourne in February 2011 following a transfer with her company, Microsoft. She settled in a new home in a leafy suburb in the city fringe. Her partner Roberto joined her later that year. He now works in Telstra as an IT specialist. In Mexico, Gaby and Roberto rescued homeless dogs and cats and adopted some of them. Matilda in the photo is one of their rescued pets. Mati, as they lovingly call her, came over from Mexico after being quarantined in San Francisco and Melbourne. Matilda was reunited with Gaby and Roberto in June 2012.
Cabello Cuéllar family
The Cabello Cuéllar family history in Victoria started in 1996 when Cynthia Cabello arrived from Mexico. Her sister, Claudia, came to Australia two years later from Scotland with her children: Christopher and Claudia, following advice from Cynthia to migrate to Victoria. Cynthia gave birth to two children: Theo, in 1997, and Río, the following year. Hoping to reunite the whole family in Australia, their parents, Meyi and Gerardo, arrived in Victoria in 2009 to join their daughters and grandkids. Although they are relatively recent migrants to Victoria, Meyi and Gerardo have been heavily involved in social and cultural activities to disseminate the richness of Mexican culture. Meyi and Gerardo's son lives in Mexico with his family.
video
OBJECTS
The objects represent the stories of: SBS Radio - José Romero - Rafaela López - A Voz Limpia (Pilar Aguilera & Eyal Chipkiewicz) - Olga Lorenzo - Carmen Ibis Novoa - Carlos Bárcenas - Alfirio Cristaldo - Andrea Katz - Julio Altamirano (Antena Hispana Inc.) - El Café Bohemio (Gabriel Mena) - Kathy Aguirre - Isabel Avendano-Hazbun - Dr Luis Satch - Elena Osalde - Gabriella Munoz - Dr Cristina Garduño-Freeman - Dr César Albarrán-Torres - Dr Víctor del Río - Luis Alfredo Navas - Juan Dávila - Romy Hernandez - Alejandro Saravia - Arturo Morales - Silvia Tejedor - Iván Aristeguieta - John Gomez (La Tienda) - Heritier Lumumba - El Tarro - Michael Rowe.
All rights reserved. Apart from fair dealing permitted under the copyright act, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permissions of the Building Bridges team.
SUPPORTED BY
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Victorian Government and Public Record Office Victoria for making this project possible.
We also acknowledge the support and commitment of partners including Social Pinpoint and SBS Radio in the realisation of this project.
