I paint to maintain an attachment to my Mexican origin, the fact that I am an artist is a byproduct of the American part of my life.
You decide who will appear in Artforum Magazine, take home $25,000, and display their work at The Art of Elysium's Salon!
In my paintings I create surreal environments that merge my Mexican memories with dreamlike color. I use color to evoke immediate reaction while also hiding subconscious messages meant for those who know them. My work is driven by a message of migration — personal, intergenerational, and collective. I am an artist because of migration. I am a Mexican artist because my heritage refused to be left behind. My family’s movement across borders taught me that culture is not fragile. It is portable.
Where do you find inspiration?My culture and my community inspire me. I paint for the people who live in that in-between for those of us who translate daily: language, food, & joy that we are told that hybridity makes us less authentic. My work argues the opposite: For those who don't feel like they belong to this or that land. To inspire young culture to be more resilient not less. Color is my primary tool because it is democratic. You do not need an art degree to feel a reaction to blue or orange.
What would you do with $25,000?I would invest in stability & shared responsibility.1.Studio Stability/New Work-This funds 18+ months of studio rent in LA & materials for a new series on intergenerational migration & Mexican heritage.A stable space means more paintings.Select works will be priced for accessibility & donated to immigrant rights and mutual aid orgs in L.A. so the work reaches the communities. 2.Emergency Microgrant Fund-$3k I would distribute five $500+ no-strings microgrants to migrant artists in dire need.
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