In creating and installing my MFA Thesis Show, A Place to Lay My Head, I’ve been thinking a lot about the core principles of my work. My practice is essentially, an on-going, personal investigation of the lifelong questions surrounding my feelings of cultural “in betweenness” as a Colombian transnational adoptee. Being an educator and socially engaged artist, I want to involve different communities in this work of dissecting the strands of what makes up Latinx identity. I enjoy investigating the overlaps in life experiences of others with my own, but I also find that I am interested in the discourse and nuance that emerges when posing these questions to other people. I’m extremely open with my history, and folks who’ve responded to the work have been generous with sharing theirs. I’m not really looking for a singular static answer, but rather the multifaceted truths that arise from the process of asking questions both to myself and others.

I oscillate between working on larger-scale, public projects and more specific, internal reflections. The movement between the two allows for greater nuance and multiplicity. The public projects often result in sub-projects, such as zines, photo series, archives of objects, or socially engaged events like workshops, talks, public programs, or gallery exhibits. This variety of modes and methods makes working around these central questions more interesting for me, but it also provides a more comprehensive look at these issues–including other ways of asking the same questions. Being an interdisciplinary artist helps me stay nimble with my practice, which utilizes whatever strategy is best for a given situation and its particular constraints.

In my individual practice, I focus on more specific, internal questions and solo processes. This ranges from intentional walks in search for signs and symbols of identity within a particular neighborhood, to delving into personal grief, or maintaining a sense of self care through ritual and collection. Examples of the latter include experimental fiber pieces, or sculpting with clay. Installation is a new approach for me, it offers a means of weaving public and private ideas together, generating a sense of place, exploration, and discovery in a curated space. The Field Guide zine I made for this exhibit serves as a way to learn more about the work, while providing insights into my process, but it also offers a way to preserve the exhibit in a format that is itself a piece of art.

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