Justin Favela and Working Classroom serve up supersized sculptural food for thought on regional culinary and cultural heritages in Sandia Hot at Sanitary Tortilla Factory in Albuquerque.
ALBUQUERQUE—Sandia Hot’s colossal cartonería sculptures of beloved New Mexican foods take up space loudly and joyfully at Sanitary Tortilla Factory in downtown Albuquerque.
Born of creative collaboration between Latinx-American artist Justin Favela and Working Classroom students, the immersive exhibition centers the beholder amid a gigantic piñata burrito, quesadilla and tamal, an enormous pinto bean, massive pork chops, and a gargantuan bowl of green chile stew. Among the savory, mammoth bizcochitos, a giant sopaipilla, and a similarly outsized honey bear rep sweetness.
During a two-week workshop, artists between the ages of twelve and twenty-one got to know one another and the project topic—regional foods—in the historic Barelas neighborhood. Participants shared local delicacies at restaurants like Barelas Coffee House and learned more about New Mexico’s culinary landscape by exploring everything from official state history to community narratives, including family recipes.
Favela gave a crash course in cartonería to Lilly Ann López, Riah García-Ramírez, Ash Moreira, Camila Moreno, Theo Richter, Camillo Roybal Reyes, Emiliano Roybal Reyes, and Isai Silva. Learning to build structural elements from cardboard and employ traditional piñata techniques—from papier-mâché to papel picado—these young artists brought their large-scale sculptures to vivid, towering life. Modeled after Favela’s art, the appetizing sculptures on display in Sandia Hot evoke joy and celebrate culture. At the same time, their very medium serves to critique cultural appropriation and pose deeper questions about issues of reproduction and representation in popular culture.
The history of the Sanitary Tortilla Factory space adds another layer of complexity to Sandia Hot. From 1974 through 2004, M & J Sanitary Tortilla Factory served up hearty New Mexican food—think stuffed sopaipillas, blue corn tacos, chile rellenos, tamales, and overstuffed burritos—and takeaway tortillas to its devoted customer base. Helmed by Beatrice and Jake Montoya, the restaurant became a favorite hangout for creative types of all sorts, from artists like Paul Akmajian, Tina Fuentes, and Frank McCulloch to members of Yo La Tengo. It was even profiled by The New Yorker in 1984.
According to founder sheri crider, the gallery still fields phone calls inquiring about—and singing the praises of—M & J’s legendary tortillas, among other specialties. While Sanitary Tortilla Factory no longer supplies the tortillas that have inspired a nearly five-decade fandom, the historic space continues to serve artists and its community. From the programming of Working Classroom and the hands of Favela and a new generation of artists—whom Favela says are among the most talented young people he’s worked with—artistic buffet Sandia Hot doles out drool-worthy signifiers of personal, communal, and cultural meaning at Sanitary Tortilla Factory through August. 25, 2023.
