Artist Statement
Being raised in a hybrid environment, at the border, alternating between the United States and Mexico has allowed me to partake in two cultures simultaneously. I grew up going back and forth between Tijuana and San Diego, speaking both Spanish and English, consuming media from the two countries, and learning cultural norms from the two countries. With my work I position the culture I come from (Mexico), in relation to the culture I grew up in (United States), in relation to the culture I’ve chosen (Video games and Cartoons). My paintings are the byproducts of my examinations and research into Mexican and American history, the cultures I operate within, and my day to day life. The imagery I work with comes from photos I've taken on my phone, old family pictures, archived historical photographs as well as content found online. I examine, look for, and sometimes force relationships between the images. It is of interest to me how altering the relationships between the images and their contexts affects their perceived meaning. This shift in context will pivot our understanding or reinforce what meaning we already believed was there.
Being raised in a hybrid environment, at the border, alternating between the United States and Mexico has allowed me to partake in two cultures simultaneously. I grew up going back and forth between Tijuana and San Diego, speaking both Spanish and English, consuming media from the two countries, and learning cultural norms from the two countries. With my work I position the culture I come from (Mexico), in relation to the culture I grew up in (United States), in relation to the culture I’ve chosen (Video games and Cartoons). My paintings are the byproducts of my examinations and research into Mexican and American history, the cultures I operate within, and my day to day life. The imagery I work with comes from photos I've taken on my phone, old family pictures, archived historical photographs as well as content found online. I examine, look for, and sometimes force relationships between the images. It is of interest to me how altering the relationships between the images and their contexts affects their perceived meaning. This shift in context will pivot our understanding or reinforce what meaning we already believed was there.
