Yolanda M. López: Women’s Work is Never Done

Aug. 31–Nov. 12, 2023

This exhibition of rediscovered drawings, collages, paintings, photographs, prints, and process pieces by Yolanda M. López (1942-2021) charts the evolution of her creative projects over six decades from the 1960s to the 2020s.

Curated by her archivist, Angelica Rodriguez, and son, Rio Yañez, this body of work reveals López’s inquisitive approach to artistic mediums and the feminist and political sensibilities that emerged in her practice from life experiences, research, and community activism. Artworks include drawings from her youth, protest designs, preparatory studies for her iconic 1978 Guadalupe series, photography, collage, and xerox art from 1980-90s Mission, prints from her “Women’s Work is Never Done” series, as well as her final reflective works. 

Through the decades, López portrayed the multifaceted roles that Latinx and BIPOC women hold in society, depicting working class women whose labor and contributions are too often undervalued and underrepresented. This was not only a creative choice, but informed by lived experience for López, who even at the height of her career, made ends meet by working at the Macy’s gift wrapping counter in downtown San Francisco. Returning the viewer’s gaze, her subjects question cultural and gender stereotypes while retaining their strength and humanity.

About the Curators

Angelica A. Rodriguez

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Angelica A. Rodriguez (she/them) is a Xicana Indigena. An alumna from UC Berkeley, Rodriguez acquired a BA in the Practice of Art, and has worked for renown artists in the production of several art projects. As an artist, art administrator, and independent curator, Rodriguez came onboard to lead a small team organizing Yolanda M. López’s archive in the summer of 2022.

Rio Yañez

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From the moment Rio Yañez (he/him) was conceived in an artist’s studio, Yañez’s fate as an artist and curator was sealed. As an artist he has exhibited his work from San Francisco to Tokyo and created artwork installations for the touring exhibit The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. As a curator of over 25 exhibitions, he was a frequent collaborator with his late father, Rene Yañez; the pair developed exhibits and programming together for 13 years. Yañez carries on his father’s tradition,curating the annual Dia de los Muertos exhibit at SOMArts with collaborator Bridgett Rex. Yañez is also a founding member of The Great Tortilla Conspiracy, the world’s first and most dangerous tortilla art collective.

Exhibition Object List