MFA Lecture
Texas Tech School of Art
MCOM 257

Friday, October 18th
2:00pm

Coming up on Friday, we have our next MFA Lecture with MFA Candidate Diego Zarate about his body of work titled “Sigo Siendo”. Lecture will be held in MCOM Room 0517 from at 2:00pm.

Statement from the Artist:
The Mexican American identity is a constant struggle between being seen as Mexican and American without ever being fully considered as either, yet, technically, being both. When the Mexican American fully embraces the Chicano identity and accepts who they are, another point of tension is developed. That being the issue of stereotypes. One that particularly concerns me, and my studio practice is the representation of Chicano Art. My perception of Chicano Art for a major part of my studio practice has been limited in the sense that I viewed it as simply as using repetitive images and motifs such as La Virgen de Guadalupe, the borderlands, and Indigenous symbols. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with using these images, at times, the use of these images may appear disingenuous with the artist only using them for the sake of making “Chicano Art,” thus cheapening their original meaning.

My concern regarding the possibility of seeming derivative and attempting to break free from this perception is what drives my studio practice as I pursued using materials and forms that appeared foreign to this genre of art. This abandonment of the familiar visual language may appear as an opposition toward Chicano art but more so an interest in demonstrating a much more complex representation of the values within the genre.

As we look at my work, we will see that it has evolved in tension with previous generations of Chicano artists while seeking to find a visual language that relates directly to my own experiences while broadening awareness of the range of experiences that are part of many ways of Mexican Americans. My visual language of do-it-yourself materials using hardware from automotive, construction, plumbing, and electrical contexts speaks to masculinity, frugality, and self-reliance.

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/art/