Dalila Paola Mendez, Corazon del agua, 2018
Dalila Paola Mendez, Corazon del agua, 2018
Dalila Paola Mendez
Corazón del agua, 2018
serigraph, Ed. 51
22 x 30"
Artist Statement : Before the lotus flower takes its true form, it hides in the mud, waiting to bloom - a parallel to my queer identity, living in silence and fear for part of my life and then realizing the importance of queer visibility in art and media. For me, being queer is like a beautiful flower. Once we can share and be our queer selves, we can share who we truly are with the world and ourselves. The lotus flower sits in front of the female figure, paying homage and showing reverence to the women in her life that have shaped her to who she is today. The female torso sits in the water, something needed to sustain life, just like all the parts of my identity needed to keep living my truth.
Queerida
The word Queerida is a playful combination of the word Queer and the beloved song Querida by the late Mexican singer-songwriter, Juan Gabriel, who coincidentally, never openly admitted his homosexuality to the public.
Queerida is a fitting title to this atelier, that brings together five Queer women of color with diverse Latin American backgrounds. Through personal and shared experience, each artist created vibrant and colorful prints representing self and community empowerment, a celebration of women and the female body, and, most importantly, the liberating act of being true to who they are. Many of the works include symbols of their celestial and spiritual connections, rooted in ancestral backgrounds or the land itself. Queerida symbolizes queer love. Both to oneself and for their partner.
The production of Queerida initiated in late 2017, with three works completed in 2018, and two in 2019. The entire suite will be featured for the first time during SHG’s 2020 Annual Print Fair. Artists in the Queerida include Dalila Paola Mendez (curator), Angelica Becerra, Pamela Chavez, Trenely "Clover" Garcia, and Cynthia Velasquez.