The National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago is currently hosting "Under Pressure," a solo exhibition by Mexican-born artist Ana Teresa Fernández. The show features a diverse range of media, including oil paintings, sculptures like a silver-feathered Quetzalcoatl made from a hose, and performance-based works that use metaphors like expanding balloons to illustrate the fragility of the environment. A central component of the project involved a community-led "social monument" at Ohio Street Beach, where hundreds of participants used mirrors to signal an S.O.S. in Morse code toward the horizon.
This exhibition matters because it bridges the gap between fine art and environmental activism, specifically addressing the ecological concerns of the Great Lakes region. By utilizing universal symbols and onomatopoeic sounds that transcend language barriers, Fernández highlights the intersection of climate change and cultural loss, such as the disappearance of indigenous languages. The project underscores the museum's role in fostering community-driven climate action and provides a visual platform for urgent ecological advocacy within the Mexican-American community.