Tropical Terror: Technologies Of Monstrosity On The Other Side

Abstract

Based on Jack Halberstam’s theory of monstrosity as a technology of subjectivation, we analyze how terror and the monster increase their complexity as they cross different literal and metaphorical territories, and the way these complexities are expressed in contemporary artistic practices. Taking as a point of reference the work of Costa Rican artist Roger Muñoz, we emphasize how the incorporation of elements from an alleged tropical context into the production of a terrifying visual imaginary, updates existing conceptions of monstrosity with Tropical Gothic’s acknowledged relations of colonial domination, but also by depicting class and gender distinctions in contemporary culture.