Savannah's SOY X SOY art collective celebrates Carnaval at Savoy Society
When is a cocktail, art? When the mixologist is Jomar Santos, that's when.
"I see my profession as an art form," he said. "And also a way to communicate in different languages in a different form."
Santos is one of the many creatives who make up the Latin/Hispanic/Indigenous art collective SOY X SOY (pronounced soy como soy, aka "I am who I am"). He and his fellow visual artists, musicians, dancers, and singers will once again be bringing their talents to Savoy Society , this time in celebration of Carnaval.
"I get inspired by colors, forms, music and heritage," Santos explained. "So, I'm basing my cocktails on, across the Americas, how we celebrate Carnaval, or prepare ourselves before going to Lent."
The gregarious bartender spoke passionately about his subject matter, and how cocktails can be a way to transport people to new places, inspire memories, and break boundaries between people. "The bar is where everyone meets," he noted, calling it "neutral ground" where people of all types can come together to share a moment. For Carnaval he's putting together a complete menu of regionally inspired craft cocktails, with hard to find ingredients such as the brandy-like Singani from Brazil, cachaça from Bolivia, and hibiscus from Trinidad, to name a few.
But what if, like me, you don't drink?
"The beauty about what I do, all of the prep, the juices, and the syrup, I can make basically the same cocktail without the alcohol," he smiled. "So, you can still enjoy the fiesta."
Celebrating "your inner personality"
Carnaval is predominantly a Brazilian holiday, but numerous other conceptually similar festivals take place all over Central and South America in the days preceding Lent. One feature that many of these events share is the use of masks as a part of the celebrations, masks meant to "accentuate who you are, your inner personality," said SOY X SOY multimedia artist Lórien Gascón.
As part of the group's interpretation of the holiday, they, too, are creating masks, both for display on the walls of Savoy Society, and to be worn during the event. According to SOY X SOY co-founder and Savannah art stalwart AJ Perez, they'll be as varied as the collective's membership.
"Everybody's coming from different backgrounds, so different cultures, the content is different," he related. "It can be inspired from different spiritual backgrounds, masks that are in honor of your ancestors [or] past family members. And then variations from giant papier-mâché heads to smaller masks that are not necessarily wearable or functional. Everybody's got their own interpretations to what they're bringing into it."
"They're putting their own seasoning on it," added Gascón.
In addition to the masks, the visual artist members of SOY X SOY will be creating art live on site, literally on the windows of Savoy Society, and projecting a slideshow of the group's best artworks.
But as is the case with Santos, not every member fits neatly into the standard artist box, so they're also planning on having a fully costumed performance by the Stardust Pixxies, and DJ Precisa will be brining her unique musical flow to the festivities.
"All of these people in this group are very expressive, and aware of themselves, and aware of their expression, and we all want to share that," Perez continued. "We're all coming from so many different places. A lot of us could say we were the black sheep or lone wolves in the family; the artists, the creatives. Sometimes people don't always know where you're coming from. You know what? We're gonna show you."
The New Savannahians
"When we talk about neighborhood and community, see all the factors," Santos said. "This community is not just whoever was born here in Savannah. It's always been a hub. It's a bustling port city. And once you live here, you're a part of the community. I'm not above or below you; I'm just like you."
"Maybe my accent is a little deeper," he joked.
SOY X SOY is both exclusive and inclusive: In order to be a member, you must be of Latin/Hispanic/Indigenous descent (and great at what you do, of course). But they are also diligently working to expose those not of their cultural backgrounds to the things that make them who they are.
"SOY X SOY integrates and communicates, rather than excludes or dictates," Santos noted.
In the three-plus years since the group formed, they've lived by that philosophy, opening their arms to people like me, who haven't a lick of Latin blood. Come Carnaval, they'll be bringing their unique artistic sensibilities to Savannahians once more, and they're hoping everyone will come to the party.
"It's exciting to learn about other cultures," said SCAD Fibers graduate and tattoo artist Lusiana Morales. "When people see what we're doing, they get interested, because it's not something they're used to seeing. But when you put something together like [the event at] Savoy [Society], people get to feel a little snippet of how we feel in our own countries."
"We're just here to connect, connect and make [people] aware of our cultural heritage, and to have fun," chimed in Gascón. "There's no pressure. Just come, meet our community, see who we are, and enjoy it while you're here."
"Just make a little noise too," Morales added with a laugh.
If You Go >>
What:"Carnaval: A Celebration of Cultural Expression" by SOY X SOY
When:3 p.m. until close, April 7
Where:Savoy Society, 102 E. Liberty St., Suite 109, Savannah
Info:The performance by the Stardust Pixxies will begin at 5pm, and DJ Precisa will hit the turntables starting at 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah's SOY X SOY art collective celebrates Carnaval at Savoy Society
