"Vex" Influence Maps Downtown

I’d be interested in checking out this exhibit because I’m not clear on its historic timeline. Yes, downtown was a hotbed for the punk scene in the late 70s and 80s. But, I’m not aware any Latina punk bands during this heyday. I also see from the portion of the map displayed reference to Los Illegales. My understanding (which is sketchy) is this band is still a going concern. So is the exhibit about the punk heyday or is the timeline up to the present?

I’d also like to know what the curator means by ‘East L.A.’ Because of the social dominance of West L.A. elites, the imagined center of L.A. has drifted west so that places like Los Feliz, Echo Park and Silverlake are considered ‘East L.A.’ My Latina wife who grew up in downtown finds this mental geography laughable. To her East L.A. is east of downtown. I wonder if the curator subscribes to this mental map. Because I note only Vex is really in East L.A.

The reason why I bring all this up is because I recall once during a visit to Self-Help Graphics years back, I was surprised to learn there was a real divide between punks from the eastside even amongst punks. This divide was social and ethnic. Punks from the eastside were not welcome. Hence, Vex came into being to meet the need for punks from the eastside to hang out and play.

I don’t know if this show illuminates this reality or papers it over. Guess I’ll have to check it out myself. Frankly, I’d like to have a deeper understanding of this part of L.A. history.

I’ll report back.