The Magic Tchotchke is a sculpture edition that riffs on antique tchotchkes from the Rococo era, inspired by the artist's monumental installation Magic Grasshopper in Times Square. Mayorga has coined the term "Latinxoco" to describe her approach—an aesthetic language that merges Latinx identity with Rococo ornamentation as a way of interrogating lived-in, adorned domestic spaces. Intended as an intimate version that can be collected and kept forever, the work features three figures aboard a carriage, dreamt by Mayorga as a fantastical vessel that pays tribute to the physical and personal journeys undertaken in pursuit of the American Dream.
Contemporary culture is layered throughout the sculpture in details that include vernacular objects and phrases rendered in a style that evokes gold nameplate jewelry. The word "BYE" at the center of the carriage becomes both defiance and departure: a feminist proclamation of leave me alone, while simultaneously asserting the will to remain present and fully here—even while moving across landscapes. Cast in varying shades of hyper-feminine pink, The Magic Tchotchke also bears a textured exterior that mimics the sugary confections baked by women immigrants from the Latinx community. In the words of the artist, "I want the piece to feel as though it has lived within a domestic space, evoking nostalgic memories of the ceramic and plastic figurines that adorned our parents' and grandparents' homes."
Yvette Mayorga
The Magic Tchotchke, 2026
9.25 x 9 x 7.5 inches
Resin, acrylic, acrylic paint, and clear coat
Limited edition of 25
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