THEATER
MERCEDES
Mercedes (a work-in-progress) is a multidisciplinary art experience inspired by Modesto ‘Flako’ Jimenez’s grandmother, Mercedes, and the legacy of Latine individuals she helped migrate to the country. After immigrating to America as a kid, Flako was raised by his grandmother in Brooklyn. As an adult, he served as her main caregiver as she battled dementia. In the process of taking care of his “mama”, he uncovered years of letters, receipts, and papers that documented her impact on the Latine community. This journey of care, memory, and discovery is the heart of the work, Mercedes. This multidisciplinary art experience deals with our relationship to aging, dementia, and inherited trauma through a series of components: a theater piece based around Mercedes’ life, including her own migration to the U.S.; art therapy workshops in ‘The Mercedes Healing Room’; a gallery of artwork and photography created by workshop participants; a VR (Virtual Reality) healing experience; and a documentary, which will depict the entire project to share with wider audiences.
March 11-April 18th, 2023 - Mercedes Gallery & Performance At KAJE in Brooklyn
NBC NEWS 4 LATINO: ARTIST HONORS GRANDMOTHER IN EXHIBIT
TAXILANDIA
Originally created and written by Modesto “Flako” Jimenez, TAXILANDIA immerses its audience in the flavors, sounds, sights and dynamic history of a neighborhood confronting social stigmas and the realities of gentrification. TAXILANDIA draws on Flako’s nine years of experience driving a taxicab in NYC and his documentation of conversations with passengers, residents, locals, and immigrants to the neighborhood. Weaving a dramatic, performative ‘tapestry’ that interconnects generations, social classes, races and cultures, TAXILANDIA complicates our notion of what it means to be a local, an immigrant or a resident of a place, challenging us to answer: “What is my personal roadmap of home?” With his theater company, ¡Oye! Group, Flako is now working with companies all over the country, including La Jolla Playhouse and New York Theater Workshop, to develop local versions of TAXILANDIA specific to different cities. TAXILANDIA was recently recognized with an Obie Special Citation Award.
