The need to find a way to integrate the beautiful, harmonious, culture of my two home countries is heavily rooted in my struggle over my cultural identity. I spent the first sixteen years of my life in Leon, Mexico and I have now lived several years in the U.S.A., which has been a dramatic change in my life. This time spent in these two disparate cultures has led me to constantly question everything about my persona.
My work explores my sense of cultural dislocation; as I continue to question my identity as a Mexican-American living in two different countries. Now that I have spent an extended amount of time in the USA and developed new friendships, family connections, language skills, as well as a new way of life, I feel conflicted when I attempt to reconcile my cultural roots with my current lifestyle. In my work, I explore the separation I've experience between the two nations; the images shown from two countries are meant to represent identity, confusion and acceptance, which makes me explore the questions of what is required to be part of a nation and what it means to be an Mexican American. Using the term “Mexican-American,” as a constant influence rather than just a migration moment, reflects the significance of the diaspora I live in. I constantly use images that certify my identity and nationality as something that proves my identity in where I belong while using imagery such as flags or passports. Using identification images not only serve as a representation of my two homelands but they also show how I constantly cross an emotional border between these two societies. This border crossing creates the feeling of transient experiences of cultural exploration that helps me accept my dual citizenship; it creates the feeling of belonging within the two cultures.
In my work I like to use different mediums but I always tend to practice woodcuts and ceramics because it reflects my heavily rooted connection and history to traditional Mexican art.
