Unravel scariness this October at 'Se aculillo?'

In the presence of "Se aculillo? / Are you scared?," there is really no doubt that you are scared. The scariness will be different for each person who engages with the show; for some it may be radical, for others minute. But it will make itself known. Through conversation with Benjamin Lundberg Torres Sanchez, the AS220 resident who conceived and curated the exhibit of local Latinx/Latine artists, I tasted some of the fears that contribute(d) to this show.You may experience an instinctive, physical fear, the kind that gave "Se aculillo?" its raw meaning. These pieces are meant to physically engage the viewing public. Ring the bell, smell the hair, open the box (and the next and the next), find the other word and the other side. The entire space is charged and active. There are streams of people in and out, through and around the artwork. The particular artists, and the ways in which they interlock and interact, will keep your interests piqued. The small footprint of the gallery becomes an illusion when immersed in the space.   You could be scared of the artists for their abilities, of talent or of self-exposure. The artists come from a swath of backgrounds and practices, and both are on public display here. As a viewer, you can feel the powerful intimacy of these moments. There is certainly awe, power, and fear in the constant fluorescent projection of snake eyes’ music video and Kufa Castro’s story. These artists are not inviting us into their worlds through their work—they are confronting us. Perhaps you will sense the kind of "scared" that is learned through being, which is embodied in many of the works. By virtue of existing while Latinx/Latine (and black, brown, queer, indigenous…), you learn that other people are scary — and scared of you. The two fears are seen again and again in the exhibit, where doubling became an unintended but welcome theme. There are two planes in Kendall Rivera-Lane’s sculpture, isolated from one another and isolating the public who sees it. One cannot exist without the other, but they also cannot be seen as one. In one set of Linda Behar’s prints, a pair of human-like beings stare you down. In her other set, the same figure holds the same position, but the tones are inverted. They are further perched on a corner, so that the faces do not interact without the public moving and causing their interaction.  These fears and artists co-construct an exhibit that will challenge and may delight you. "Se aculillo? / Are you scared?" can be seen at 131 Washington St. There will be a showcase of live performances 7-9 p.m., Friday, October 20, with snake eyes headlining with Saulo Castillo, Orlando Hernández, Rica Maestas, Luna Ayala, Castro, and Rivera-Lane. The gallery also features works by José Menendez, Tamara Diaz, and Kat Chavez. Images via Benjamin Lundberg Torres Sanchez