Curatorial Rationale

Through my artwork, I convey the complexity of the passage of time in Mexican culture while reflecting on my struggles and objects such as old appliances no longer used. I explore subject matter like advances in technology and the use of cultural dresses. These explorations allow the audience to gain perspective on the amount of time that Mexican culture has been alive for and overcoming struggles over the years. The audience will be able to analyze the effects of my experiences and how there is more than one layer to an item.

I decided to have a total of nine artworks out of twelve created, La Bamba used to be three individual artworks, but I merged them together to be a triptych artwork because the three of them had similar aspects to be considered three distinct artwork pieces. La Bamba is an artwork that deals with the model not looking directly towards the camera; representative of the traditions that I remember and acknowledge. The traditional folkloric dress is inspired by Shadi Ghadirian’s portrait Qajar #3 and Oksun Kim’s photograph Oksun and Ralf. I took this decision to ensure that the audience can distinguish between each artwork without difficulty.

The exhibition is intentionally organized to allow the audience to see the interconnections between all the artworks. La Bamba and Silla are placed in the center of the rest of the artworks because the hues contrast each other and the audience will be gravitated towards the center of the exhibition then to look at the surroundings. The audience’s eyes will gravitate to the center because La Bamba is two dimensional while Silla is three dimensional. This was done to ensure the audience was able to personally construct a nostalgic connection between the works. Moving Forward and Perfect Flowers are all the way at the right of the exhibition because they contain a visual representation of my struggles the strokes of color connect the similar shades in La Bamba which is in the center of the exhibition.

In the sculpture Silla, the rope symbolizes holding together what was left in the past. Daily life is placed adjacent to Silla, the warm tones from Silla and Daily Life connect to each other. In Daily Life, the bridge contains moisture and texture that identifies that the bridge is old such as Mexican or immigrant communities. This idea applies to Jewelry at Dusk because my family has passed on items such as family portraits and jewelry. The audience should feel again nostalgic and feel the value of the items that have been past down generations for many years. Jewelry at Dusk is placed critically above Daily Life and next to Arana Flotante they contain items that have value to me and my family. I placed Oxidada and Rose at Dusk at opposite ends from Silla. The arrangement of Oxidada and Rose at Dusk is to show the audience the different types of neglect being present in different places. The placement of those two artworks also plays a role in Silla and La Bamba.

As viewers enter my exhibition, they are entering the history of my Mexican culture. Considering the audience will naturally look from left to right, at the left of the wall is the beginning of the beautiful culture with its sprouts of vibrant hues in Moving Foward and Perfect Flowers. In the center of the wall are the colorful folkloric dresses, creating emphasis and contrast to get the viewer’s attention. All of the photographs, including the sculpture, have more than one layer to them; the layers demonstrate the amount of time that has passed. The audience will view the weaving of the rope from Silla and wonder about the number of people and generations the chair has been through. Centered in the middle of the exhibition, above Silla is La Bamba. Surrounding La Bamba is Rose at Dusk, Oxidada, Jewelry at Dusk, Daily Life, and Araña Flotante. As a result of the placement of my body of work, I want society to appreciate the Mexican culture more similar to Jewelry at Dusk. These artworks are supposed to embody struggles and the intricacy of my culture over the years.

Contact the artist at angeleshorta2@gmail.com