PENSANDO EN TI

The piece above is a confessional that you enter into and write a love note to someone on your mind.  In this space you are invited to think of a loved one but are also reminded to first love yourself as well. Prior to gifting the love note you must first recite it to yourself. The piece is in both English and Spanish and functions as a sacred place of respite.

The piece above is a piñata handmade by the artist and also destroyed by the artist. They documented the event and placed the evidence and treat of the experience in the space. You are invited to take a piece of candy and get close to engage the now destroyed portrait of the artist. 

A character I often portray in my work is a ghost. It has fluctuated throughout the years but I find that when I embody the ghost it has always been a strong visualization for how I feel. I find that when I am the ghost it represents most how I believe myself to be in social and cultural aspects. I am Chicané and I find myself questioning my identity a lot more at this time in my life. I feel invisible but also misplaced. I am visible yet hidden. Placing the ghost in familiar and uncommon landscapes allows me to break the barrier that I feel for myself and as a placeholder for anyone who feels similarly. I tend to take self portraits but I am just a vessel for others to understand. Others can relate to the feelings of displacement and I am just the visual representation they can come to understand. 

During adolescence a child begins to learn how to express themselves. These moments are formative and have lasting effects into adulthood. This may be represented through clothing, or through hair. Felt Me is a short animation that utilizes significant memories about my hair and the role these moments have had on the formation of my identity. As a young Mexican-American person, I grew up with many traditional familial hair expectations. My experiences surrounding hair may seem familiar, but they have had a lasting impact. In this animation I use a handmade doll as a surrogate to relive these experiences. Dressed as my present self, I use this doll to reconcile and examine memories from the ages of 5, 13, and 23 to understand my identity today.