b chehayeb

reloj, 2024

b chehayeb’s reloj (2024) features an unusually subdivided composition—a pink vertical shape is separated from a blended bluish white space and letters migrating into the corners of the painting. Recalling memories of watching the wildly popular 1997 movie Selena, specifically the scene in which a young Selena learns to roll her ‘R’s so that she can speak Spanish. Selena’s father instructs her to push her tongue to the roof her mouth and blow air out, then teaches her lyrics to a popular Luis Miguel song: Reloj, no marques las horas / Porque voy a enloquecer Clock, don’t mark the hours / Because I’m going nuts i represent the rolling of the ‘r’ in many paintings with backwards ‘R’s, thinking of the space between languages. learning to speak spanish was complicated coming from a family that wanted to be associated with [notions of] american success. trying to tap back into this culture was always difficult. —b chehayeb

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