“Radio Wave-Driven Art as a Form of Resistance”
**Exploring “Broken Boxes: A Decade of Art, Action, and Dialogue” at the Albuquerque Museum**
The Albuquerque Museum’s ongoing exhibition, *Broken Boxes: A Decade of Art, Action, and Dialogue*, challenges the conventional frameworks of art display and interpretation. This innovative project, co-curated by podcast creator Ginger Dunnill and Josie Lopez, is a powerful response to the persistent question: *Where is the artist’s voice in the museum?* Featuring 23 artists, many collaborators or contributors to the [Broken Boxes Podcast](https://www.brokenboxespodcast.com/), the exhibition amplifies diverse voices across a range of media — from sound art and installations to video and performance.
By integrating selected podcast excerpts into the gallery space, *Broken Boxes* transcends the boundaries of a traditional exhibition, offering an immersive experience where the voices of artists resonate as ambient soundtracks alongside their works. It’s a deliberate act of weaving together multiple dimensions of storytelling: visual, auditory, and emotional.
### **The Intersection of Art and Dialogue**
The *Broken Boxes Podcast*, celebrating 10 years of serving artist communities, acts as the conceptual anchor for the exhibition. Topics discussed in the podcast — mental health, Indigenous sovereignty, migration, and the challenges of the art market — find visual and spatial expression in the artworks. Directional speakers strategically placed throughout the gallery give visitors a sonic map of the artist interviews, creating layers of context that deepen understanding.
This synergy between audio storytelling and visual representation builds an interactive atmosphere where visitors can actively “hear” the stories behind what they see, dissolving the wall that often separates the audience from artists’ intentions.
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### **Featured Works and Themes**
At the heart of the exhibition is a commitment to surfacing personal narratives and collective themes. Here are some standout pieces that exemplify the spirit of *Broken Boxes*:
#### **Autumn Chacon’s “Between Our Mother’s Voice and Our Father’s Ear” (2016)**
A Diné and Chicana sound artist and activist, Autumn Chacon uses the medium of sound to question entrenched systems of regulation and ownership. Her installation includes a durational, unlicensed radio broadcast interwoven with field recordings, podcast snippets, and exhibition sounds. The feather microphone at the center of her work, arranged to simulate a wave pattern, illustrates how sound transcends the limits of physical and legal boundaries. For Chacon, speech becomes an irreversible vibration, a form of resistance that is both ephemeral and enduring.
#### **Guadalupe Maravilla’s “Disease Thrower #17” (2021)**
An amalgamation of sculpture, ritual, and sound, Maravilla’s work reflects his personal journey of healing. A survivor of both the Salvadoran Civil War and stage III colon cancer, his *Disease Thrower* installation functions as a healing portal activated through sound bath ceremonies. The piece includes gongs and sculptures formed from objects collected during Maravilla’s retracing of his migration route as a child. The work encapsulates layers of trauma, migration, and restoration, transforming the objects into tools for spiritual and physical renewal.
#### **Amaryllis R. Flowers’ “Original Fragment of the Lost Girls Treasure Map” (2024)**
Flowers’ pastel-hued, topographic artwork offers a juxtaposition of fantasy and trauma. Her intricate map, adorned with glitter, gemstones, and embossed textures, serves as a metaphor for navigating personal chaos. Through both visuals and accompanying dialogue, Flowers reflects on how moments of disorientation in her life — including a psychotic break induced by societal pressures — have fueled her creative evolution. Her work underscores the potential of imagination as a means of survival under unbearable conditions.
#### **Cassils’ “The Resilience of the 20%” (2016)**
This nearly two-ton bronze cast materializes a moment with devastating significance: The title refers to the 20% rise in the global murder rate of trans individuals in 2012. Cassils, a celebrated transgender artist whose practice incorporates performance and bodybuilding, confronts the systemic violence faced by the trans community by memorializing their resilience in monumental form.
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### **The Transformative Power of Sound**
The pervasive use of sound throughout the exhibition demonstrates how it can foster connections that extend beyond the limits of sight or text. This is vividly evident in works like:
– **Marie Watt’s “Jingle Clouds,”** inviting tactile interaction and echoing traditional Indigenous craftwork.
– **Christine Sandoval’s “Ignition Patterns,”** which repurposes fire and water to reveal the interplay of destruction and creation.
– **Black Belt Eagle Scout’s music videos,** which situate themes of land and identity within poetic soundscapes.
Sound becomes an agent of transformation, rooting visitors in the artists’ lived realities, while opening portals for reflection and healing.
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### **Rethinking Institutions Through Artists’ Voices