ideas I've been thinking about

1:02 am

I started thinking about my thesis ideas today in the afternoon, as I was heading to my psych class while riding the bike. (I learned in that class that perceptual thinking allows us to re-live our conscious experiences when we recall, so that's what I'm doing right now)

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12:30pm

The words dualities and incoherences came a lot to mind when thinking of main concepts for my project, simultaneously as I was concerned about falling into binaries: coloured or white (skin), North vs South, Diaspora and people that live within the region... and it's so daunting to think of representing a whole region with infinite amount of layers (as any peoples consist of). I'm afraid of falling into reductionist ideas of who we are, and the pretentiousness of feeling like I am defining a whole community. 

(1:35am - it's a struggle when there's not a lot of Latinx artistic representation here - at least, in the context I'm living in. It seems like our experiences are shown as a monolith, and it feels selfish or wrong to talk about from a place of specificity or individual experience. I internalize a lot of the collective battles and place myself in the continuum of oppression, harm and marginalization, as if its too much sometimes, others is not enough...)

12:51pm

Gardiner Museum banner - Building community from the ground up. I like that concept of building community

12:34am

Looking at printmaking storytelling from Latinx art, I'm drawn to the phrase "La Solidaridad es la ternura de los pueblos" -> I wanna be in solidarity, not trying to be the representative of anything or anyone. I wanna add to the support because I love. 

(1:26 am - thinking of the phrase: "I speak (of you) because I love (you)", that's why I feel the desperate need to talk about Latin America, because I love it overwhelmingly -> what do I love about it so much though?...)

I was just looking into works that have inspired me to work with this subject matter from friends that are artists as well. I thought of my tocaya Juanita Alba and her work "Past Tense" (2024), who for her Project CREA Showcase made an installation of linocuts (3 ft x 24") printed onto Japanese paper, hanging from the ceiling. It seemed like a printmaking storytelling board almost, as well as many posters just pasted on an invisible wall. 

Juanita Arango, personal photograph of Past Tense (2024), Juanita Alba, May 4 2024, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto.

They describe the violent and tragic experiences and histories of Colombia, in its complex political and social climate over the years. It depicts, through cultural symbols and historical references, the emotion and faces of el pueblo Colombiano, who has suffered the deeply invasive war on their own children, a war that has nothing to do with them but it became everything for them, as they were dragged into it. It captures a lot of emotions in what seems an abstract cultural and symbolic timeline of the era of La Violencia that never seems to end in our country. These motifs and the spirit of the piece, the intention, reminded me of Doris Salcedo, a renowned Colombian artist who also speaks about the horrors the people of our country have suffered for time immemorial, but from installation, sculptural works and very big projects, that I feel reflect the magnitude of the socio political stories told, as well as the weight this has on them and their histories.

Juanita's printmaking was also spectacular and very meticulously done, and the fact that she decided to do printmaking, known as this tool for massive distribution and access, just echoes the intention of getting this message across to everyone that needs it, and those who haven't encountered it. It is a well-thought out approach as to make this artwork a collective memory piece, para nunca olvidar, to resist collective amnesia, to expand the message. 

I want to make my approach and technique as intentional as hers (or even more) and, of course, make it very, very big.

Juanita Arango, personal photograph of Past Tense (2024), Juanita Alba, May 4 2024, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto.

PAST TENSE (2024)

Linocut 3 feet x 24" edition of 10, printed on Japanese paper

Juanita Alba

Art statement written for Project CREA Showcase by CreaTO

"This piece explores the multifaceted reasons prompting migration from Latin America, portraying a spectrum of situations shaping the exodus. From the harsh realities of violence and conflict to the allure of opportunities for work and education abroad, each image in the composition represents a distinct facet of the migrant experience.

Drawing from her personal experience as a newcomer who has chosen to embrace the "immigrant" label, Juanita aimed to challenge the simplistic narratives that often surround Latin American migrants, whether idealized or stigmatized. Her goal is to confront the complexities of this phenomenon, highlighting the contradictory forces that drive individuals to seek new beginnings in foreign lands.

This is a portrait of the migrant's past, whether spanning generations or mere days before arrival. It speaks to the universal human quest for belonging and identity, emphasizing the journey of self-discovery that unfolds when one finds oneself in a new country, navigating the intersections of culture, history, and personal aspirations. It is about transcending labels and finding one's place -- and true self -- in the world."

Juanita Alba (she/her)

"Juanita Alba is a Colombian Printmaking and Publications student at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada. Her creative practice focuses on Printmaking media such as Intaglio, Lithography, Block print, ad screen printing. Her artwork is heavily influenced by concepts like iconography, religious allegories, folk motifs, metaphors, and symbols, as well as her interest in the history of Colombia, the idea of cultural heritage, revolution, and social discomfort. She encourages dialogue about current events and hopes to invite people to think critically about the world around them through art."

juanita.format.com

IG: juanitaamanecer

Bibliography

Alba, Juanita. Past Tense. 2024. Linocut 3 feet x 24" edition of 10, printed on Japanese paper. Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto.