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‘Black and white and red all over’ is the name of Christine Iriarte Niswonger’s last artwork series, and it’s being exhibited in Henderson, Nevada’s −20 minutes south of Las Vegas− at the City Light Art Gallery, through July 7. The exhibition combines meaningful etchings of newspapers, typographic details, and photos. “I want to make people aware and skeptical about what they read and see in the news,” the artist, and former journalist told EuskalKultura.com.

Henderson, NV, USA. “I worked as a journalist and as an editor for many years and I became very disappointed in the profession. It had very little to do with the truth and justice, so that’s what I tried to represent with this series,”  Christine Iriarte Niswonger said about her las exhibition. And she added: “I want to make people aware and skeptical about what they read and see in the news.”

To do so, the artist created big panels with etchings of newspapers’ news, headlines, images, and typographic details that, sometimes, she painted herself. It’s a sort of a collage-like series, aimed at making the audience reflect on the so-called information era.

Should freedom of speech have a limit? Iriarte thinks so: “As always, there are two sides. Freedom of speech is a right warranted by our Constitution and it’s something that makes the US a great country. However, when it comes to newspapers and what they can do, it’s gotten out of control. Much of the information we see and read is not true.” Iriarte also offers a possible solution: “I would give the people more chances to sue for liable and win, because newspapers know that they can say anything and that the Constitution will protect them. We should give that opportunity to the people.”

The artist is getting good feedback from the public and is looking forward to exhibiting the art pieces in other galleries, cities, and states. “Las Vegas is all about entertainment, but it’s not that big on art.”

Basque heritage

Christine was born in the San Francisco Bay Area, to Peter Iriarte and Ruth Ladington. Peter was born "in a small village nearby Iruñea-Pamplona (Navarre, Basque Country)" and migrated to Los Angeles, California when he turned 18. His father and four siblings were already living in the city of Los Angels. Shortly after arriving, Peter moved up north, where he worked, for a short time, as a sheepherder and ended up shipping cargo at the Oakland Shipyard, in San Francisco. There he met his future wife, Ruth.

Christine grew up between San Francisco and Bakersfield, California and spent some time in Switzerland, as a student. After finishing her studies, she worked as a journalist for some years and retired teaching at various colleges and universities. Now she lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her husband while their two sons and daughter still live in California.

In 2005, Iriarte created a series of colored woodcuts, as postcards for her children, with scenes from the Basque Country and short explanations about “the land of their heritage,” as she put it. The artists is currently working on Portraits Without Faces, a project to show regular people’s lives. “I show their hands and what they do. There are musicians, writers, a wine maker… Without seeing their faces, you can tell what their passions are, what they love, what their life is about, and what their legacy will be.”

‘Black and White and Red all over’ at the City Light Art Gallery
3 E Army St, Henderson, NV
*Through July the 7th