Amos Eno Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of work by Rosemary Meza-DesPlas: La Tercera y Última: Miss Nalgas USA.  

La Tercera y Última: Miss Nalgas USA translates to “The Third and Last: Miss Buttocks USA.” Meza-DesPlas’ creative project Miss Nalgas USA has three manifestations: a live performance artwork, a video artwork, and this art exhibition. The one-night performance artwork was staged in Farmington, New Mexico, on November 12, 2022; subsequently, a video by the same title premiered in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on December 3, 2022. A multidisciplinary artist, Meza-DesPlas translated her satirical performance artwork into this  multimedia installation at Amos Eno Gallery that includes performance documentation, upcycled costumes, soft sculptures, and video art.  

Miss Nalgas USA 2022 is an invented beauty pageant focusing on women over fifty. It features contestants vying for the honor of being Miss Nalgas USA 2022 and showcases artist Meza-DesPlas as the character and pageant winner Miss Refried Rosi Frijoles. Grounded in intersectional feminism, this gallery installation addresses socio-cultural issues of ageism, beauty standards, and identity. The humorous contemplation of the preferred figurative trait of the Latina, a bodacious booty, is inspired by the book From Bananas to Buttocks :The Latina Body in Popular Film and Culture by Myra Mendible. Meza-DesPlas’ works reflect the commodification of ethnicity and is influenced by Arlene Davila’s book Latinos Inc.: The Marketing and Making of a People. The multimedia environment includes the installation The Invisible Woman Syndrome; the title is a reference to what happens to women over 50 in society. 

Meza-DesPlas received a Latinx Artist Fellowship in 2022. Administered by the US Latinx Art Forum and funded by The Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation, this fellowship recognizes 15 of the most compelling Latinx visual artists working in the United States today. Meza-DesPlas’ Fulcrum Fund grant financed the performance artwork Miss Nalgas USA 2022. This award, managed by 516 ARTS, was funded by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. 

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas lives in Farmington, New Mexico. She earned a MFA from Maryland Institute, College of Art (Hoffberger School of Painting) and a BFA from the University of North Texas. Her artwork has been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Exhibition Date: May 4 – June 4, 2023

Gallery Hours: Thursday through Sunday, 12 - 6 PM

Location: Amos Eno Gallery

56 Bogart Street

Brooklyn, NY 11206 

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