Citlalli Marmolejo

To feel trapped and lost in the misfortunes of life seems almost inevitable- and to make sense of your world and its surroundings only becomes more confusing. My series explores my emotions and confusions caused by pivotal life events. These life events weigh in on topics like loneliness and self-deprecation. Through my artwork, I am able to speak without words, hence why in some pieces I draw a mouthless girl. My art is inspired by Aya Takano.

My pieces don’t always have a clear meaning, which only adds to the intended confusion and chaos I experienced growing up. For example, my SI 5 portrays a series of cartoon characters, with text floating around them. Yet even I don’t know what they “truly” represent. All I know is that it was created after this state of mind.

This series has taught me to become more flexible with my self-expression. When I first started this journey, I was too strict with myself: “what I make has to be obvious and literal”. Yet as I go on, I’ve realized that I find the most inspiration and joy when I take my abstract thoughts and make it into art, without worrying about specific meanings.