ARTIST STATEMENT
The subject matter of my work is influenced by my spirituality, political activism and cultural historical background. I see my work as a political act. My experience as a community activist and organizer has a direct relationship to me being a social political artist. I grew up in a world where societal divisions were evident. Luckily I had teachers that taught me there was a possibility for change. This experience instilled in me a sense of social responsibility. As an artist I believe I can influence the spaces I occupy and contribute to a shift in consciousness towards a better world for our future generations.
My work is meant to question and re-define the social/political history and current lived experience of my community. My identity is informed by the double colonization of Xicana/os. My work is a conscious act to heal the wounds from the traumas of being left detribalized. The Spiritual knowledge of our ancestors traveled the same trade routes as our sacred objects. For example, Tobacco originates from Mesoamerica and was used by the Mayans in ceremony and rituals evidenced through clay vessels. In present day our relatives here in the U.S. also use tobacco in ceremony. As a Xicana I see myself as a bridge navigating in and out of multiple worlds searching for our interconnections. The images I create act as my words documenting that journey.
This process involves the sifting and re-working of indigenous history, spirituality, and metaphors juxtaposing them with the contemporary. This research becomes a site of recovering knowledge that has been lost to the urban Xicana/o. The result is a hybridity of the weaved fragments . The syncretism of indigenous symbols with the modern creates a new language giving voice to the urban Xicana Diaspora.
I feel a spiritual connection with the clay. It is more than a choice of media. The first time my hands touched clay it felt very familiar. I work some what intuitively. I start out with a general concept and allow for the ideas to emerge. I carve into the earth (clay) to leave a record of a different (ancient) way of knowing. With my hands I attempt to give life to something that triggers a shift in thought that will trigger action.
My work is a continuum of the cultural activist work before me. I create with a sense of urgency. In reflecting on our current global politics I want to create dialogue that will lead to a shift in consciousness. I fear for humanity unless there is a shift where we understand our connection to each other and the planet that sustains us all.
Making Art is my prayer. It is my ceremony for the people. It is my offering to the ancestors and future generations.
All My Relations
In Lak'ech