Óscar González-Díaz

Recording Strips (Logan Square)

March 2018

Based in Chicago but originally from Mexico, González-Díaz is disturbed by the broadening political divide and rising racial tensions between his home country and his country of residence. In the midst of the heated debate surrounding immigration in the U.S., Gozález-Díaz examines the social, economic and racial makeup of his rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Logan Square and its effect on the local Latino community. He developed adhesive strips which were applied to storefronts throughout the neighborhood. Designed to be responsive to the environment and to collect passing debris, these simple, sticky strips trace the comings and goings of clientele. By locating his strips on storefronts associated with gentrification—coffee shops, book stores, high-end smoke shops—as well as establishments run by the Latino community—joyerías, dollar stores, cafeterias—González-Díaz steps into the role of sociologist, tracking the shifting community’s economic and social activities in a gesture reminiscent of the magnifying glass held to the Latino community by I.C.E. and the federal government.

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