Mi Xicana arte is about exploring and researching the different attributes and symbolism of my gender and culture. The subject of MUJERES/WOMEN is something that I've always had a strong affinity with and it also plays an important part in my life. The roles of all women have been mostly portrayed throughout history and art by a male perspective and gaze. I feel like it is my artistic duty to investigate those roles closest to me and portray them through my own female gaze. The practice of self-portraiture allows my curiosity and love of photography to delve into and discover my womanhood and Latinidad. My artistic practice also involves research into myths, archetypes, stereotypes, prescribed gender roles, sexuality, pre-hispanic symbolism, mexican textiles and traditions, and the history of mujeres such as La Mujer Azteca/Maya y the legend of La Llorona. This gained knowledge molds and guides my work conceptually and aesthetically.
Gloria Anzaldua really puts into words what us Chicana creatives y otras from all artistic disciplines think, feel, believe, and create: “As a people, we have been stripped of our history, language, identity and pride, and we attempt again and again to find what we have lost by imaginatively digging into our cultural roots and make art out of our findings.” Exactly!!!
My latest project, Allegory of a Chicana, will push my creativity and technique to another level since each image I'm creating will be more challenging, calculated, and reflective together with new skills in order to produce the series. That is intimidating in itself but I'm muy excited and ready to actualize this series since it has been brewing en mi cabecita for a while now. It is inspired by specific allegorical and symbolistic paintings that I am appropriating and putting my own Chicana twist to it.
Stay tuned to my progress at: https://www.instagram.com/la_libertina/
Researching the myth of La Llorona has been intriguing and thoughtful. Perhaps La LLorona was pushed to a breaking point and was left rechazada and abandoned with no options left. Was she was doing her own thing and was banned from town for being independent? How many La Lloronas exist today and why are they like that? In what ways does La Llorona represent mujeres or how are we like her? Why was she demonized in the first place? How are mujeres/women demonized today?
Researching provokes more valid questions, so what can we do thru art to answer those questions?
La Llorona son su corazón encadenado