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Analysis of institutional authors

Romera-Figueroa, EliaCorresponding Author

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July 8, 2024
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Madrid is Browning: A conversation with Gad Yola

Publicated to:Cultural Dynamics. 36 (1-2): 139-162 - 2024-02-16 36(1-2), DOI: 10.1177/09213740231223846

Authors: Romera-Figueroa, Elia

Affiliations

Autonomous Univ Madrid, Dept Spanish Philol, Cantoblanco Campus,Calle Francisco Tomas & Valient, Madrid 28049, Spain - Author
Autonomous Univ Madrid, Madrid, Spain - Author

Abstract

Afro-LatinX drag artist Gad Yola was born in Lima in 1995, migrated to Spain in 2006, and began performing in Madrid in 2017, a year marked by the rise of Spanish nationalism. This interview acquaints us with Gad Yola's artistic vision and practices. It orients us toward the growing presence of "Brown art" in the Peninsula, taking a deeper look at the work of artists who declare themselves "migrants" or "Migrantas" and examining the use of LatinX's X in Spain. Gad Yola's career includes performances such as "El drag es marron" ("Drag Is Brown"), the exhibition "Hypernariz" ("Hypernose"), and the music videos "No exotice" ("Don't Exoticize"), "Aguanta Migranta" ("Hang in There, Mx. Migrant"), "Travesti del Peru" ("Trans from Peru"), and "Problematica" ("Troublemaker"). The analysis of these works focuses on the use of pop-reggaeton-cumbia rhythms, the politicization of Gad Yola's fashion, and her references to colonial history and Spanish, Peruvian, and US pop culture. LatinX's transatlantic "X" emerges on social media and webs across these geographies, accompanying Gad Yola's oeuvre and the work of other artists from the Spanish capital with whom she has collaborated, including Chenta Tsai Tseng, Samantha Hudson, and the drag families Casa Drag Latina and House of Gad. From Madrid's bars, squat houses, and museums, Gad Yola reclaims, invigorates, and re-conceptualizes such referents like Peruvian artist and philosopher Giuseppe Campuzano, while also coming up with characters like "Gad Bunny" and "Gadyonce," thus embodying a Global South LatinXness. Gad Yola's queer, anti-racist art evokes a Global Iberian LatinX that bridges these terms and expands them, reconfiguring the cultural scene in Spain and beyond.

Keywords

American pop cultureBrownDragIberian studiesLatinos in spainLatinxMigrantMigrantaPerPeru

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Cultural Dynamics due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2024 there are still no calculated indicators, but in 2023, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Cultural Studies. Notably, the journal is positioned en el Cuartil Q3 for the agency WoS (JCR) in the category Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary.

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-08-11:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 8 (PlumX).

Leadership analysis of institutional authors

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (ROMERA FIGUEROA, ELIA) and Last Author (ROMERA FIGUEROA, ELIA).

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been ROMERA FIGUEROA, ELIA.