Artist Statement

Early experiences of dislocation, transnationality, cultural syncretism and resilience fuel my practice. I am fascinated by the ways in which we self-actualize based on myths; holding dear the experiences of girlhood/womanhood in personal/collective memory, paying special attention to those moments that haunt us. I excavate real-to-imagined moments with an aim to tell a much more complex story about and for low-income Latinxs on the periphery of America. My work draws heavily from academic and archival investigations into intersectional Chicana feminism and queer theory to see the synchronicities between the personal and the sociopolitical. While hardship and marginalization play out in the background of my work, I am foremost drawn to the lush internal worlds (projected outwards) of the individuals experiencing it. Particularly, the ways in which people self-actualize in the face of systemic barriers of lack that insist on humility. Myth and allegory functions as a labyrinthine vehicle that abstracts and protects the narratives I am fabulating. I honor tenderness in my approach as I go through complex processing that plays out in the paintings I make. At the same time, I honor a generosity and richness that derives from the variety of brownness and the Latinx experience.