Faculty Affairs and Academic Programs
Ruben Ochoa
Performing and Fine Arts
UCSB Department of Art
UC Santa Barbara
¡Vendedores, Presente!
¡Vendedores, Presente! is an artist book/monograph exploring my sculptural and painting practice at the intersection of economic, spatial and food justice. As the issue of undocumented labor once again becomes central to U.S. American politics, the questions around art’s applicability to Latinx working people remains pressing. This project brings together scholarly analysis by art historians, an interview with the artist, reproductions of archival materials related to the numerous vendor-projects I have created, as well as a collection of oral histories with street vendors I have collaborated with over the last five years. Beginning with my paintings and performances of the 1990’s exploring vending within my own family history, to my most recent collaboration with Snapchat for the LA County Museum of Art, this survey will consider the ethical and economic questions at the heart of contemporary socially engaged artistry. How can art contribute to critical discourse and provide tangible economic benefits for working-class communities? What kind of artistic vehicles can we facilitate to empower communities without perpetuating exploitation or extraction?