Time is running out to experience a journey of self-reflection and migration, as Star Montana’s LBCC photo gallery, “By The River, I May Destroy You,” will hold its closing reception on Saturday.
The event will take place from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. in room K-100 at the LAC campus.
Utilization of water is strewn throughout Montana’s exhibition, like the LA River and the Rio Grande from both sides of the border.
Many of the photos show Montana letting herself be controlled by the water, going so far as to lie down in the LA River to “embrace the more feminine, beautiful side of natural water formations,” said Karla Aguiniga, a curator for the exhibition hall.
Aguiniga described the gallery as “sort of a visual representation of connecting back to the places you or your family have come from,” expressing how Montana wanted to convey her journey of reconnection with her ancestors.
Montana’s roots can be traced all the way back to the early Spanish settlers in the Americas, and she herself was raised in Boyle Heights, a neighborhood in East LA.
Photo artist, Star Montana poses against a sunset on her porch in East LA during a photoshoot with The Viking. Many of Montana’s art encapsulates nature in a scenic way. (Jacyn King)
Her Mexican-American heritage influences much of her work.
One recurring motif in her art is the rebuilding of connections to her ancestors: “These bodies of water have been there longer than borders, and I was interested in activating ancestors in that body of water, and I wanted to conjure ancestors, since my family has lived near the border for many years,” Montana said on why she chose to showcase her photos taken from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.
During these “conjuring rituals” as she described the acts, the US Border Patrol noticed Montana and went as far as to send a tank, which can be seen in the photos. “It’s really unnecessary, as obviously I wasn’t going to cross the border, but it’s clear that they really just wanted to instill fear(in us),” said Montana.
To pay her respects to her ancestors, she went out to a massive graveyard in El Paso, and tracked down some of the graves of her lineage. In some of her photos in the art exhibition she shows herself cleaning them.
Isaac Acosta, a student working at the gallery shared that this experience deeply resonated with him.
“I’ve gone through that process, finding my family’s graves in El Paso, and to know someone else went through all that effort just makes me feel strongly for her,” said Acosta.
Montana’s projects usually take years of research and shooting before they’re released to the limelight, with Montana only publishing her work when she’s fully satisfied.
She drew a parallel between herself and accomplished musicians: “My work is more like albums, so it’s really slow, and it takes forever for me to make a new album, but when it does finally come out, I usually think it’s good.”
Acosta is also an East LA native and commented on one of Montana’s photos depicting a backyard cookout, emphasizing how it felt to recognize familiar moments and shared experiences.
“I can smell that picture, I can hear it. It’s interesting, I didn’t think that other people could be from there too. It also just makes you really curious,” said Acosta.
While never having been an LBCC student, Montana attributes her experience in community college to much of the success she’s been able to find.
“I made friends in community colleges, I would show my stuff at coffee shops, and just try to contribute to little art shows, or anywhere I could,”, said Montana.
That sense of community was a major factor in her ability to put herself out there, helping instill the confidence she needed to show the world her work.
“I was always really shy, but being in community college and making great friends there helped me build myself up,” said Montana.
When asked what advice she had for any aspiring artists, Montana said “Everyone I know who’s successful now also started off at mom and pop shops, showing off their stuff, just building themselves up.” She expressed that hard work and effort are the common denominators between success and passion.
These community values are further deepened through her collaboration with FOTOSoCal to put on this event, as the organization focuses on highlighting works from up-and-coming Latinx photographers throughout community colleges in SoCal.
When asked about any timelines related to other projects, Montana repeated the sentiment “I really can’t say, I have to just keep working.”
Montana will be present at the closing reception of her gallery to speak on her work, and is open to answering any questions students will have in regards to her or her art.
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