Nos Vamos Mañana

Author/Artist Name

Karen ColoradoFollow

Files

Academic Level at Time of Creation

Senior

Date of Creation

Fall 11-19-2021

Artist Statement

Growing up, I always hated moving. Every moment leading up to that move is a celebration, then a goodbye, then a memory. We wonder what we will do with the things we take with us, as well as what will happen to the spaces we leave behind. The first time I moved I didn’t know any of these things, nor did I think it would change my life completely.

My work is a reflection on my experiences from moving to America and what I have learned. I strive to challenge people to think about what makes a house a home through my lens as a Salvadoran immigrant. My work displays the emotions and items I associate with my move and reimagines the spaces from my youth. The wide assortments of color and naked terra cotta are a nod to Mayan folk art and Hispanic artists before me. I play with scale and saturation in my pieces to remove the items from reality as a reminder that they are sacred, yet distant memories. The work looks familiar yet feels unsettling; posing questions about how we view the immigrant experience. What is it like to see your loved ones for possibly the last time at an airport or as they walk towards the U.S-Mexico border? When I.C.E officers slash jugs full of water or take backpacks full of survival essentials in the Sonoran desert are we obligated to do something about it? How do we show compassion to those making life-changing transitions?

Inspired by the testimonies of millions of Latin-Americans in this country, I take what I learn from my community and highlight the differences and similarities in where we come from and the places we go to. My symbolisms and thematic choices are influenced by Mexican-American artist J. Leigh Garcia, whose work deals with the ‘residual racial discord’ of major historical events between the U.S and Mexico, particularly Texas. Though my work is more personal to mine and my family’s experience, I feel it’s important for me to acknowledge and learn from the heavy end of the Latine diaspora. Moving to America is riddled with obstacles no matter the method of doing so. Having moved so young and not knowing when -or if- I would return, I struggled with remembering all my ‘lasts’ and preserving those memories as I age. It’s a celebration of what I had before boarding that plane, and a tribute to those who unfortunately don’t get to have that choice.

Advisor/Mentor

John Utgaard, Nicole Hand, Todd Herzberg, T. Mike Martin

Description

This is a collection of works I made for my senior BFA exhibition. It features a mix of ceramic and printmaking pieces both framed and in the form of installation. The work deals with themes of immigration, displacement, and feelings of anxiety during transitions.

Photo Credit

Karen Colorado

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Colorado, Karen, "Nos Vamos Mañana" (2021). B.F.A. Practicum Exhibition (ART 498). 86.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/86