Art Design Chicago

The title of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s exhibition, entre horizontes, refers to the horizon lines over Lake Michigan and the Caribbean as sites of memory and longing for Puerto Rican Chicagoans. Featuring works in a variety of media by an intergenerational group of Puerto Rican artists based in or connected to Chicago, the exhibition examined the artistic genealogies and social-justice movements that link the island and city as well as the significance of identity and place. With its display of archival materials documenting the movements and organizations in Chicago that advocated for the rights of underrepresented Latine communities, the exhibition also highlighted Chicago’s longstanding role as a center for national conversations on Puerto Rican self-determination and Latine issues and illustrated how art has been mobilized locally to bring attention to issues affecting Puerto Ricans.

“The presentation of entre horizontes: Art and Activism Between Chicago and Puerto Rico, together with the accompanying performances, lectures, and community engagement events, has fostered new and deepened existing relationships with community partners, particularly within Chicago’s Puerto Rican and broader Spanish-speaking communities,” noted Madeleine Grynsztejn, Pritzker Director, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. “These connections and partnerships have brought the project to life and helped amplify its reach across the city.”

Comprising an archival installation and a contemporary art exhibition, this project at the South Asia Institute (SAI) documented the history and contributions of South Asian art and artists in Chicago, from the Indian Pavilion at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition to the myriad works created in the past twenty-five years. The first exhibition to map and disseminate this aspect of Chicago’s art history, What Is Seen and Unseen examined the growing interest in Asian antiquities in Chicago and the United States in the early twentieth century and acknowledged the influence of South Asian art, literature, film, performing arts, and spirituality on American countercultural movements throughout the twentieth century, underscoring how these art forms continue to mark Chicago’s cultural landscape. It traced a path from the 1990s to the present, featuring the work of artists who have made Chicago home and are reshaping the art and life of the city.

“The exhibition represented both a responsibility and an opportunity for SAI to uncover and amplify the histories, voices, and artistic contributions of underrepresented South Asian American artists,” wrote institute cofounder Shireen Ahmad. “It allowed SAI to serve as a cultural bridge—connecting archival scholarship with contemporary artistic practice—and to strengthen our role as a hub for research, collaboration, and public engagement, reshaping the understanding of South Asian art in Chicago and beyond.”