Chicano

Keisuke Nagoshi’s emotive and nuanced portrait of the Mexican-American “Chicano” identity appears in this series of black-and-white images. In the past, gang tattoos, cars, and the objectification of women have been stereotypical markers of this predominantly machismo aesthetic and movement, yet these pictures also reveal a strong loyalty to family, friendship, and origins and culture. Today, Chicano/a identity enjoys a resurgence centred on ethnic pride, indigenous consciousness, cultural expression, social justice for immigrants, and the rights of women and queer people.