Dalila Paola Mendez,
Spiritual Dimensions and Untitled (diptych), 2019
Serigraph, ed. 60
15”x11” - each

From the Utopia/Dystopia Portfolio Project

Individual print: $250
Pair of prints: $400

Dalila Paola Mendez’s Untitled piece was created in part of the “Utopia/Dystopia” portfolio, curated by artist Miyo Stevens-Gandara. Miyo invited 26 artists to each pick two cards from a full deck, incorporating a diverse range of interpretations and ideas into a single, unified collection. Mendez places the dystopian world within the current political climate in pairing the humorous image of President Donald Trump’s hair with words and phrases related to institutionalized injustice experienced by marginalized groups due to the present-day administration. While her Utopian print uses a collection of sacred symbols to thematically evoke the use of ancient knowledge as a source for future understanding.  

Raised in an Armenian, Arab, Guatemalan, Salvadoran family, Mendez finds inspiration from a diverse combination of influences. Her work utilizes contemporary images with references to indigenous origins. Through incorporating the past and the present, Mendez speaks to the power of using ancestral knowledge as a way to know and understand the modern world. Using a variety of techniques, she uses her art as a platform to comment on current social and political circumstances.

Mendez received her B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California. At present, she is involved in creating a series of Huipiles (woven blouses) that are used to portray diverse accounts of contemporary life. Some of her work can be seen at El Segundo Museum of Art and TANA (UC Davis).