Promesa Ongoing

Promesa Ongoing was curated by Dos Mestizx as a part of the XicanX: New Visions exhibition at Centro de Artes in San Antonio, TX. I was honored to have my work included in this powerful show.

Promesa Ongoing
dimensions variable
lava rock, marble chips, river rocks, tumbled obsidian, artificial flowers, vinyl
2020

Ofrenda for Dr. Alfonso "Chico" Chiscano at Centro de Artes Dia de los Muertos Exhibition

Artpace Chalk It Up 2019 - Sustainability

Digging, A Solo Exhibition

In July and August of this year, I had a solo exhibition at the San Antonio Public Library Central Gallery. The exhibition included a series of self-portraits and a site specific installation that recognized the serpent as a symbol of rebirth.

Promesa, 2019

cactus, marble chips, lava rock, wheat, coffee beans, flowers

dimensions variable

Wound, 2019

latex paint on stretched vintage linen

48 x 72 inches

Demise, 2019

latex paint on stretched vintage linen

48 x 72 inches

Letting Go, 2019

latex paint on stretched vintage linen

48 x 72 inches

Tending To, 2019

latex paint on stretched vintage linen

48 x 72 inches

Resurface, 2019

latex paint on stretched vintage linen

48 x 72 inches

Reunion, 2019

latex paint on stretched vintage linen

48 x 72 inches

photos by Gregory Martinez

Buffet, 2019

It was a pleasure participating in a group show at Clamp Light Artist Studios and Gallery in June of this year. The exhibition was entitled Intersectionality of Inquiry and was curated by Sarah Castillo.

Buffet
dimensions variable
dyed tablecloths, napkins, pins, vinyl, recycled plastic, cardboard, wire,  antique buffet, wooden bowls, tablecloth, cotton fabric strips, LED candles, jars, pencils
2019 

We shudder at its silhouette, its dark song, its work. However, the vulture is an agent for purification. It rids our landscape of carrion and destroys deadly bacteria within its digestive system. As the vulture consumes, it cleanses.

In the same way a carcass can harbor disease, the human body can harbor stress. This installation invited visitors to release that stress by participating in a symbolic exchange with the vulture:

Take a fabric strip and write down something you would like removed from your life (negativity, a toxic thought, a traumatic memory, etc.). Offer the fabric strip to the vulture by placing it in a bowl. Let go. Breathe. Let your problem nourish the vulture and then walk away unburdened. 

NEW WORK

Canas

24 x 24 inches

vinyl

2019

detail

NEW WORK

I'm Fine

24 x 24 inches

vinyl, velvet, pins

2019

detail

Allowing Abundance

I was honored to have my work included in Remedios Sagrados. Artist and curator Suzy Gonzalez put together this powerful exhibition for Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival 2018.

Remedios Sagrados focuses on concepts of ancestral knowledge in relation to food, healing, spirituality, and the land. As the city of San Antonio celebrates 300 post-colonial years, these artists reclaim indigenous wisdom while recognizing the complexity of identity.

I carved 120 manos de nopales representing individual amulets, providing protection within the space.

Allowing Abundance
60 x 60 inches
wavy leaf prickly pear cactus
2018

photos by Suzy Gonzalez

A Prayer to Santa Marta Dominadora

A Prayer to Santa Marta Dominadora

40 x 24 inches

dyed linen, vinyl, sequins, lace, cotton fabric, acrylic paint

2018

ILGWU Local 180

ILGWU Local 180

21 x 17 x 3 inches

fabric, lace, pins, paper

2018

In 1959, in San Antonio, Texas the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union - Local 180 organized a strike against the Tex-Son garment factory demanding a living wage increase. Strikers faced violent opposition at the hands of the Tex-Son Company and police. This included intimidation, physical force, and arrests. Union members, a majority of whom where Mexican-American women, used creative tactics to earn the support of San Antonio which was traditionally known for its anti-union sentiment. Some of these tactics were to fashion themselves in attire that was deemed “ladylike” and use rhetoric that was centered around their roles as mothers. 

San Antonio born Sophie Gonzales was instrumental in this garment strike and was the first Mexican-American woman organizer in the history of Texas for ILGWU. This strike, that lasted from 1959 to 1963, was the beginning of her 35 years of dedication to labor union organizing in Texas. This work pays homage to the tenacity of Gonzales and her sister strikers. 

Mano de Nopal

My creation of these Mano de Nopal amulets is ongoing. I began making them years ago for my own home and now I am making them for others. They are meant to hang near a doorway in the home to ward off negative energies.

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

2017

leather and fabric

40 x 30 "

I was honored to be invited to show this mixed textiles self-portrait at Blue Star Contemporary's 27th annual Red Dot Art Sale.  BSC Red Dot Art Sale Catalog

Angel Baby at Lady Base Gallery

In 2017 Lisette Chavez and I collaborated to create a short film and installation entitled Angel Baby at AP Art Lab via Lady Base Gallery.

photo by Alma Hernandez

In the well know South Texas folktale, "El Camaroncito," a young woman goes out dancing at a local dance hall despite the disapproval of her parents. She is invited to dance by a handsome man. While enjoying dancing with this man, she suddenly looks down and sees that in place of human feet, has has a chicken foot and a cloven hoof. Knowing this to be the sign of the devil, the horrified young woman screams and falls helplessly to the floor. Frightened onlookers scatter and the devil disappears into the night leaving behind his victim on the ground and the scent of sulfur lingering in the air.

Angel Baby is an installation based on a feminist adaptation of this know folktale. By retelling the story with a  female protagonist, we challenge our viewers to consider the manner in which folklore reinforces societal expectations of women and gender related powers.

Check out our teasers put together by the amazing Craig Haddad.

Adda Montalvo of La Prensa did a great write up about Angel Baby. Click on the link below to read more.

Angel Baby Presenta Una Diabla Empedrada

We also had a great time discussing Angel Baby with Elda Silva of the San Antonio Express News. Click on the link below to read more.

Artist Give 'Devil at the Dance' Feminist Spin

Lisette and I also did a Q&A Session with Lady Base Gallery reina, Sarah Castillo. Click the link below to read more.

Q & A Sessions