YOU HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE A BRIDGE
I was born in the United States to parents of Mexican & German descent, and I have struggled my entire life to justify my identity to others and myself. I am not fluent in Spanish or German and have heard that I don't particularly "look Mexican or German." My entire life people have tried to put labels on me. I am the rich man, King, love of my Life, everyone wanted me to subscribe to or dedicate to.
My current body of work examines the intersection between politics, culture, societal labels, and personal identity as crafted through the lens of being a Chicano artist working in contemporary aesthetics. Themes such as immigration being a natural phenomenon amongst animals and plants, the criminalization of immigrants, and the border wall that separates families leaving kids under the watch of the government in unfortunate circumstances. Plus a look into the emotions that change within me as I grow older, has populated my work over the past several years.
I saw many things in life that left lasting impressions on me, but none as great as the US-México Border. I could not process the stark difference between the two countries, so close yet worlds apart concerning their social-economical conditions. My young mind was left curious about what function this wall might have played in creating these divergent realities, how luck and the pure random chance of being born north of the border wall came with such great privilege.
The calculated objective of my work is to revise what mainstream society looks like with the inclusion of all populations. No Labels - No Limits. Over the past 40 years, the demographic of all has slowly shifted to a majority of Labels we must subscribe to or identify as or even others put on us to understand who we are. My work continues to establish the existence and relevancy of all today's humans. To be seen in a light that shows their humanity alongside our own.
I keep an artist's studio in SODO and teach fine art to independent artists and youth groups.