Artist Statement

The borderlands are rich in diversity, culture, and community, but it is also full of oppression, racism, and division. I consider the area that separates my hometown Matamoros, Tamaulipas and Brownsville, Texas a “nepantla” territory. Chicana scholar Gloria Anzaldúa defines this term as an “in between” of worlds, whether it is geographical, political, linguistic, etc.

As a border commuter, this man-made separation is always present in my routine. The constant crossing has simultaneously blurred and redefined the division between countries. Within my body of work, there are manifestations of multiple identities and explorations of these new discourses. I describe this as a visual autohistoria-teoría, a methodology heavily used in Chicana scholarship. Autohistoria connects personal experiences with social realities, and theorizing this process is considered autohistoria-teoría. By utilizing autohistoria-teoría, I navigate through my narrative as I theorize my relationship with the border, the presence of nepantla, the possibility of Americanization and more through the lens of a border-crossing Mexican national.

With multi-disciplinary practices, I explore the intersectionality of the border from social, political, economic, and cultural perspectives. With community engaged workshops, I facilitate a platform for others to share their own autohistorias since autohistoria-teoría is considered as a form of collective healing.

CV

EDUCATION

CURRENT | MFA in Design - University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

2021 | BFA in Graphic Design - University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

JURIED EXHIBITIONS

2023 | EL PASO PRINT PACHANGA - Moonlight Adobe Hall El Paso, TX

2023 | MUJER-ERES - Brownsville Museum of Fine Arts - Brownsville, TX - First Place

2023 | RISO-RAMA - Texas A&M Corpus Christi Weil Gallery - Corpus Christi, TX - Honorable Mention

2021 | INAUGURAL PRINTMAKING JURIED SHOW: BORDER IMPRESSIONS - La Chicharra Studio - Brownsville, TX

2021 | RISING EYES OF TEXAS - Rockport Arts Center - Rockport, TX

2019 | STUDENT JURIED SHOW - University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Rustenburg Art Gallery - Brownsville, TX

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024 | UTRGV MFA EXHIBIT - Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library - Edinburg, TX

2023 | WOMEN OF RESISTANCE BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD - La Chicharra Studio - Brownsville, TX

2022 | OSO BAY BIENNIAL XXII PRINTMAKING FESTIVAL - K Space Art Studios - Corpus Christi, TX

2022 | PRINTED PUEBLOS & PERSONAS DE PURA CULTURA - Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library - Edinburg, TX

2022 | EL RETORNO AL VALLE: LITERARY LANDMARK UNVEILING & SYMPOSSIUM ON GLORIA ANZALDÚA - University of Texas Rio Grande Valley - Edinburg, TX

2022 | MARCHES THAT MOVE US BY PLANNED PARENTHOOD - Carlotta K. Pettrina - Brownsville, TX

2021 | RENACIMIENTO - La Chicharra Studio - Brownsville, TX

2019 | ENCUENTRO EN LA FRONTERA - Carlotta K. Pettrina - Brownsville, TX

2019 | MUJER-ERES - B&E Art Studio - Brownsville, TX

2018 | DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS - Carlotta K. Pettrina - Brownsville, TX

2018 | PIGMENTED IV - Galeria 409 - Brownsville, TX

2019 | MUJER-ERES - Platform 204 - Harlingen, TX

CURATED EXHIBITIONS

2024 | RESISTENCIA FRONTERIZA - Cactus Valley Art - Harlingen, TX

2024 | MUJER-ERES - CO-CURATED WITH CECILIA SIERRA - Paper Caper Co. - South Padre Island, TX

CONFERENCES

2024 | CreArte - Latino Arts & Humanities Conference - Brownsville, TX

2024 | El Mundo Zurdo - Les Atravesades en Comunidad: Coalition Building as Light in the Dark - San Antonio, TX

2024 | NACCS Tejas Foco - 50 Years: The Legacy of NACCS and its Changing Landscape, 1974-2024 - San Antonio, TX

2024 | CAA - 112th Annual Conference - Chicago, IL

2023 | 6th Annual International Conference on Border Studies - Transborderism and Reimagining Social Space - Edinburg, TX

2023 | NACCS Tejas Foco - Confronting/Resisting the Colonizer Within: A History of Violence, Discrimination/Oppression and Shame - Brownsville, TX

GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS

2023-2025 | Presidential Research Fellowship - University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

2023-2024 | Hello Departure Grant - University of Arkansas

PUBLICATIONS

2024 | Book Chapter - “Mi Casa en la Frontera / My House on the Border”. CURRICUL-ARTE: Artist acts of autohistoria-teoría within borderlands espacios. Walking Away: Refusing and Resisting Reactionary Curriculum Movements edited by A. B. Pratt, K. Donley, S. Hatch, & S. L. Tharp, & F. Calderon-Berumen, pp. 219–243. Information Age Publishing.

2024 | Online Article - Critical Forced Displacement - Mi Casa en la Frontera / My House on the Border

PRESS

2024 | The Rider at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley - Living in the in-between by Eduardo Escamilla

2024 | Critical Forced Displacement - BU Center on Forced Displacement Magazine Highlights Plight of Millions Compelled to Flee Their Homes by Alene Bouranova

2023 | The Rider at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley - The art of the border by Fatima Gamez Lopez

2023 | Hughes Texas News - An artist on her journey by Steven Hughes

2022 | Trucha RGV - Allyship Through Artivism: A Dialogue with Michel Flores Tavizón by Abigail Vela

2022 | Glasstire - Gallery Round-up: Recent Shows in Brownsville and Harlingen by Liz Kim