Six luchadores (fighters) from Lucha Libre Mexicana Entertainment will bring the excitement of the ring to the audience. On display at the museum, in conjunction with the event, is Sergio Arau’s Lucha Libre-inspired art in La Vida es un Ring.
The event will also feature a Lucha Libre marketplace that will include vendors, the chance to meet luchadores, a photo
booth, food and drinks for purchase and tequila tasting (for those 21 years and older).
Introduced into popular culture during the 1930s, lucha libre became something more than mere entertainment for Mexicans, harkening back to gladiator battles and Aztec warriors. At once corporeal and symbolic, bloody and cathartic, the fights have served as an unquenchable source of imagination and inspired creativity that transcends the limits of the ring, according to MoLAA.
On display through Sept. 27, Arau’s exhibition is a selection of digital prints that are examples of ArtNacoÌ, a style that has been a major part of his work since 1983.
“ArtNacoÌ recognizes what is popular, what is from the street, what is erotic and sacrilegious, and, of course, what is Mexican,” Arau
said. “ArtNacoÌ is meant to raise up and transform the naco— street kitsch, bad taste— into something divine. These characters freely fly from the Sistine Chapel to the Mexican wrestling ring and back.”
MoLAA is located at 628 Alamitos Ave. Tickets for the event are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Limited seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Call (562) 437-1689 or visit molaa.org .
