CPS All-City Visual Arts Exhibitions

Teacher Name: Sharon Finley
Grade: 12

Materials: Acrylic on canvas

Dimensions: 16” × 24”

Artist Statement: “Everything is Political ” was a statement my Art teacher had repeatedly told us throughout her class, Art of propaganda. I always thought it was a statement regarding the class within our artwork using symbolism restricting the statement inside my canvas. I thought about my shoes, my beat-up Nikes, and how such a large corporation making millions of dollars has not opted towards a more sustainable way of making shoes. I thought about the fact that they were beaten up and mostly gray of what used to be white. When I saw my dad laying down with red tired eyes and my mom’s hands burnt from cleaning chemicals, buying shoes was not a priority. Maybe I could get new shoes if minimum wage workers would be paid a livable wage that could amount to the cost of living. Seeing these issues in our day to day lives and how they affect us in the smallest way is a lens I never could have imagined gaining in an art class and I want to share that lens through my art .I wanted to surge forward the political issues surrounding my Latino community.The ideas of assimilation and alienation that come from immigrating to such a potluck of cultures like America while also facing discrimination. I wanted to depict the struggles of immigrant culture and immigrating to America but also the generational trauma one can pass on to their children. Growing up I was so angry my childhood was filled paying bills, managing credit cards or filling out government papers but when I look back I was the only person who knew english around them and they were trying to make a living in a country where everything was not home and I was the only person that could translate those harsh english words. I wanted to deface Americanism through my pieces and deconstruct using my Mexican culture as a gateway of inspiration for my pieces like the sweet conchas I’ve always enjoyed, afternoons trying to translate , playing loteria and the saying “sana sana colita de rana “. I wanted my pieces to show socio-political issues surrounding our community, such as healthcare, traumas, labor laws and the idea of work.