"Our family came from Mexico to the United States when I was a senior in high school. My dad had always worked for an American company, but when he got a job transfer, my parents decided it was time to make a move. I was upset about leaving my extended family, my home, and my language, and I was angry that I wouldn’t be able to graduate from high school with my friends. Although I had studied the basics of English, I didn’t know what anyone here was saying because I couldn’t understand the Southern accent. I took offense at everything, even just basic questions, so I’m sure my bad attitude is the reason it took me so long to adjust. As time went on though, I realized I had to accept it. This was my life now. I had to learn English. I needed to understand that I wasn't a kid anymore. One day I would have to find a job and support myself. My parents always told me that the best thing a parent can give a child is an education. Not money, not a house. The best thing is an education, and I’ve been able to get that here. And of course, once I settled in, it was easier to make friends and to feel content.
"The work I’m doing now for my Master’s degree in Art is centered on the issue of corruption in my home country. I grew up with it and was used to it, but now that I live here, I realize that it’s something that needs to be addressed. A lot of people tell me I shouldn’t talk about it, that I’m giving Mexico a bad image, that I should only talk about the beautiful things in my country, but I don’t agree. I think it’s a betrayal NOT to talk about it. The installation piece I’m working on now is a series of ceramic heads that represent reporters who have been killed for speaking about the situation in Mexico. Threads the colors of the Mexican flag lace their mouths closed and silence them. Bullets hang beneath each of the heads, and on the bullets are images of murdered reporters. Murder, corruption, and kidnappings are everyday concerns there; you can get killed for exposing them. Although I have dual citizenship, my extended family lives in Mexico, so I still have many ties there, and I care about what happens in that country. When there is violence, it’s not just another attack to dismiss. It affects real people and changes their lives. I am on this side of the border now, I’m in a safe zone, and I have to speak out about it."
"The work I’m doing now for my Master’s degree in Art is centered on the issue of corruption in my home country. I grew up with it and was used to it, but now that I live here, I realize that it’s something that needs to be addressed. A lot of people tell me I shouldn’t talk about it, that I’m giving Mexico a bad image, that I should only talk about the beautiful things in my country, but I don’t agree. I think it’s a betrayal NOT to talk about it. The installation piece I’m working on now is a series of ceramic heads that represent reporters who have been killed for speaking about the situation in Mexico. Threads the colors of the Mexican flag lace their mouths closed and silence them. Bullets hang beneath each of the heads, and on the bullets are images of murdered reporters. Murder, corruption, and kidnappings are everyday concerns there; you can get killed for exposing them. Although I have dual citizenship, my extended family lives in Mexico, so I still have many ties there, and I care about what happens in that country. When there is violence, it’s not just another attack to dismiss. It affects real people and changes their lives. I am on this side of the border now, I’m in a safe zone, and I have to speak out about it."
"Loss of Identidad" (BFA piece)
(While in the USA, thoughts of Mexico; while in Mexico, thoughts of the USA)
(While in the USA, thoughts of Mexico; while in Mexico, thoughts of the USA)
"Attached¨
Mexican Corazon, Ämerican Casa¨ (Mexican Heart, American Home)
¨Cual?¨(Which?)
¨Corazon Agringado¨(Foreign Heart)
Detail of new installation piece (still in progress) depicting corruption, violence, and the silencing of voices in Mexico.
Below each ceramic face hangs the photo of a reporter killed for speaking out against corruption, the drug trade, and other injustices in the country.
"Los 43", screenprint on communion wafers
(in recognition of the 43 students who disappeared in southern Mexico in 2014)
(in recognition of the 43 students who disappeared in southern Mexico in 2014)
Vanessa Gonzalez, MFA student at Memphis College of Art / KK-6 Art Teacher with Omni Prep Academy
Website: http://www.vanessagonzalezart.com
Website: http://www.vanessagonzalezart.com
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