Chismosa: The gossiper and the act of self-portraiture

Abstract

I paint and bleed ancient narratives long forgotten through time. Through scorched Earth and raging waves, I grieve constantly the things that I have lost. The people that I have lost. The language and heritage that I have lost.

Therefore, my art are visual eulogies.

What are statues and other accolades if they cannot withstand the inevitable passage of time? Only crumbling to dust and debris as eons pass–what lies they tell you. Stone and marble, granite and bronze. Permanent things, immovable things, cold and inhuman.

I am what I have lost. Those that came before me, those that loved me, those that believed in me. I am made out of their memories, thoughts and actions.

I am the living celebration of them.

I’ve always been interested in exploring the pre-colonial aspect of my roots as an attempt at healing from intergenerational and religious trauma. Self-portraits to me are milestones, celebrating and comparing what I have learned and how much still I need to improve on.  This painting will serve as a playful reminder of everything that encompasses my identity: my family, our heritage and history, my self-doubt, hesitations, regrets and passions all tied in together in the daily commute to where my creativity is constantly being challenged and where it is made to flourish.

Faculty Mentor: Collin Johanson