¡Provecho!, 2020
¡Provecho! by Justin Favela was commissioned by Boston Properties for the iconic Prudential Center. Curated and produced by now and there, this large-scale pinata-inspired tapestry was on view from January through June of 2020. Created to reflect and celebrate the strong cultural and economic significance of Boston’s Latinx people, ¡Provecho! put the power of Boston’s Latinx people front and center in one of Boston’s most iconic landmarks and commercial spaces.
Enjoy!
¡Provecho! is fabricated from long strands of gossamer fabric meant to mimic the traditional crepe paper ornamentation found on the common party piñata. By spotlighting the piñata, a Mexican form that's become ubiquitous across North America, Favela embraces stereotypes in order to dismantle them, spurring consideration of the many cultures that co-mingle in our favorite traditions, gathering places, and day-to-day interactions.
Today, nearly one million Latinx people live in Massachusetts and have played a critical role in transforming Boston from a regional capital into a global hub. Yet the customs, cultural contributions, and economic power they bring to our city are often overlooked, minimized, and unrepresented in our civic institutions and public spaces. Bold and luminous, ¡Provecho! puts the power of Boston’s Latinx people front and center in one of Boston’s most iconic landmarks and commercial spaces.
Through its prominent placement along Boylston Street, its imagery, and its welcoming namesake, ¡Provecho! will reflect the vibrancy of Boston’s Latinx community and reach across class, race, and ethnic lines with warmth and humor to beckon to all who pass by and invite them in.
We know you’ve heard it from us. Now hear it straight from the artists, art-goers, and art stumbler-upon-ers we’ve met this year.
After we lit up the Prudential Center together with ¡Provecho!, artist Justin Favela sat down with Afro-Latina, agitator, activist and Boston City Councilor, Julia Mejia for a special interview. Click to listen!
As we gear up to open ¡Provecho!, Assistant Curator Leah Triplett Harrington spoke with artist Justin Favela about , why taking up space is important, the complexities of identifiers, and his favorite comfort foods.
Justin Favela
Justin Favela is a Las Vegas native working in the mediums of painting, sculpture, and performance. His work draws from art history, popular culture and his Guatemalan/Mexican heritage. He has participated in exhibitions and artists residencies across the United States, Mexico and Europe. Favela has curated many shows throughout southern Nevada, at spaces such as UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art to El Porvenir Mini-Market in North Las Vegas. Recent exhibitions of note include Unsettled at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno; Mi Tierra: Contemporary Artists Explore Place, featuring site-specific installations by 13 Latino artists that express experiences of contemporary life in the American West at the Denver Art Museum and the group exhibition Shonky: The Aesthetics of Awkwardness that toured the United Kingdom. Favela is also the 2018 recipient of the Alan Turing LGTBIQ Award for an International Artist.
Recent installations include Justin Favela: All You Can Eat at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, and Puente Nuevo at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. Justin is the host of The Art People Podcast and co-founder and co-host of the pop culture podcast Latinos Who Lunch.
Our Partners
Boston Properties is pleased to once again partner with Now + There in the curation of ¡Provecho! at Prudential Center and the continuation of our commitment to support emerging artists and bring attention to important social and environmental issues through art within our buildings. Latinx representation is knit into the fabric of Prudential Center and our city. Through ¡Provecho!, we hope to give voice to the Latinx community and encourage visitors to pause and reflect on the heritage and economic impact this important cultural group brings to Boston and Massachusetts.
The artist thanks the Schneider Museum of Art & Oregon Center for the Arts at Southern Oregon University for studio space for ¡Provecho!
It’s time to reevaluate where we are as a society. Before we imagine bold new futures, we need to completely reinterpret our reality. We need to be both optimistic and pragmatic which is why Now + There’s curatorial theme for 2021 is: The Way We Could Be: A Year of Reinterpreting.