Andrea Arrubla

Brooklyn-based Andrea Arrubla is a Colombian visual artist and poet. She is a former student liaison at New York’s Bruce High Quality Foundation University (BHQFU), where she focused on community engagement and public programming. Her artwork has been featured in numerous exhibitions at New York galleries, including New Release, Essex Flowers, and 67.

1. JASON MORAN’S SOUNDTRACK FOR LARRY SHORE AND TAMI GOLD’S “RFK IN THE LAND OF APARTHEID: A RIPPLE OF HOPE” (2010)

   Moran’s titular score for the 2009 PBS documentary about Robert Kennedy’s 1966 visit to South Africa is a little-known gem in his musical repertoire. Also featured on his compilation album Ten (2010), this composition possesses a political urgency that shakes me every day. It is as meaningful in 2018 as it was in 2010—or as it would have been in 1966.

   Larry Shore and Tami Gold, RFK In the Land of Apartheid: A Ripple of Hope, 2010, digital video, color and black-and-white, sound, 56 minutes. Featured archival photograph of Robert Kennedy’s arrival at Jan Smuts Airport, South Africa, June 5, 1966.
2. APPOLITION.US

   This website allows you to donate spare change from credit card purchases to National Bail Out, an organization that provides funds to those who cannot afford to bail themselves or their loved ones out of jail. It’s a practical, brilliant effort to combat the injustice of biased criminalization that unfairly targets marginalized communities.

   Appolition logo, 2017.
3. PRESS PRESS, BALTIMORE

   Press Press is a self-described “interdisciplinary publishing initiative” that focuses on immigrants and refugees in Baltimore, working to deconstruct injurious social hierarchies through community empowerment. In other words, Press Press is the best. The fact that these amazing, hardworking people have a physical space where they can plot to advance the greater good never fails to make me smile. Visit them!

   Page detail of If I Ruled the World (Press Press, 2016).
4. EAMON MONAGHAN

   I had the pleasure of working with this extraordinary filmmaker for several years, during which I witnessed his unwavering dedication to the craft of handmade special effects. His 2016 production Magic Ranch starred painter Ray Smith as the cigar-smoking cowboy that he truly is, and premiered at Ray Smith Studios, where Monaghan re-created an entire western ranch. His latest film, The Rube’s World, previewed this past November at the Hand in Brooklyn, where his delicately crafted sets were exhibited in all of their magical glory.

   Eamon Monaghan, The Rube’s World (work in progress), 2.5K video, color, sound, approx. 20 minutes.
5. GAZR, “MEME” (2016)

   Even at two years old, this song is still a banger. Artist James Allister Sprang fuses his rap and art-world personas, navigating name drops—from Pope.L to e-flux—like a pro.

   James Allister Sprang as GAZR, Brooklyn, 2015. Photo: Levi Mandel.
6. BEATRIZ GONZÁLEZ, LOS INUNDADOS NO. 1 (THE FLOODED NO. 1), 2011

   Beatriz is bae <3. When you talk about contemporary Colombian artists, you’ll always find González at the top of the heavy-hitters list. Her artworks are shaped by the social intricacies of the country’s violent history. Pain cannot be ignored, but her paintings are also full of hope. I look to her to remember art’s exhorting power.

   Beatriz González, Los Inundados No. 1 (The Flooded No. 1), 2011, oil on canvas, 47 1/4 × 80 3/4".
7. FUNDACIÓN INTERNACIONAL MARÍA LUISA DE MORENO

   This nonprofit brings humanitarian aid to underserved communities worldwide, with a disposition and a level of respect that I admire. Some of their more impactful actions have been building homes and schools in the poorest regions of Colombia, providing supplies and assistance to victims of the many natural disasters that have plagued North and South America in the past year, and providing free health and dental visits to those living in extreme poverty.

   María Luisa Piraquive, founder and president of the Fundación Internacional María Luisa de Moreno, at the inauguration of a new school built by the foundation, La Guajira, Colombia, June 15, 2013.
8. EL ESPECIAL SIN BRETT DAVIS (THE SPECIAL WITHOUT BRETt DAVIS), EPISODE 42, “MIéRCOLES ENORME” (HUGE WEDNESDAY)

   Ana Fabrega, Lorelei Ramirez, and Julio Torres are part of a new wave of artists in New York who are blurring the line between comedy and performance art. This episode of their El Especial Sin Brett Davis, which parodies American Spanish-language TV talk shows, was broadcast in New York City on an all-access network, infiltrating homes, offices, restaurants, hotels, and bodegas. As someone who is always aware of what it means to live a fraught, dual-identity immigrant life, I find that their work really speaks to me.

   Three stills from El Especial Sin Brett Davis (The Special Without Brett Davis)_\, 2015–, a TV show on MNN. Season 1, episode 42. From top: Alfonso Cañas-Cañas (Julio Torres), Sonia Millionaria (Ana Fabrega), and María “ChuChi” Roberts (Lorelei Ramirez). Sonia Millionaria (Ana Fabrega), Wes Haney and María “ChuChi” Roberts (Lorelei Ramirez).
9. CHURCH OF GOD MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST INTERNATIONAL

   I was afraid this would be TMI, but I couldn’t do a Top Ten without naming this holy place. The church saved me during the lowest period of my life and has brought me a sense of purpose and comfort that I never thought possible. When people around the world are looking to break cycles of corruption, greed, and evil, I believe this is where the true revolution will begin. An inclusive, welcoming space for everyone (and I do mean everyone), this place is my pride, my happiness, and my reason for hope.

   A member of the Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International being baptized, Bogotá, Colombia, 1973.
10. CHESS CLUB

    Chess! Perhaps the best board game ever invented? I encourage you to start your own chess club. Make it open to anyone, listen to each member’s first chess story, buy snacks, and rotate your venue.