Galería De la Rosa Current Exhibit: Somos by Tina Medina
Somos by Tina Medina now thru January 28, 2023
Artist statement
Somos is a collection of my works from over the years curated by Jesse Meraz.
People say "ni de aquí, ni de allá", which in English literally means neither from here nor there. It is a common phrase expressed in the Latino community, especially amongst 1st generation U. S. Americans, to describe the sensation of not feeling like you belong in your country of birth. I have been feeling this way all my life but didnt understand why. Although my parents were born in Texas, and I was born and raised in Texas I had strong feelings of not belonging. Although I feelings of displacement within my own country, I often felt a strong pull towards the Mexican culture, the culture of my grandmother.
My grandmother is no longer here, and neither is my father. Without them the knowledge and history of my family in Mexico is sparse. I amke art about my imagined ancient ancestral lineage because I do not have any in formation about my actual lineage. Colonization, assimilation, violence, and immigration have erased my familial ties. DNA tests show me I am over 60 percent native American-indigenous, however my family never talks about it, or perhaps doesn't realize it. This kind of erasure has occurred throughout history and continues to this days for different peoples. I feel the indigenous, the Mexican, the Mexican American all existing within me. I am aware of all the history that has passed, before Spanish was on out tongues, before there were borders, after the conquest, after the change of hands of nations. All this history has built who we are as individuals and has even helped to define us as people. That is why I make work about ancestors and connect them to our current conditions within this land. In Somos, you can see the connections between who Mexican Americans are as a people in the ancient past and who we are now in our continued struggle to exist in this country. In these works, I am contemplating all of who we are -the past, present and future.
More about artist, Tina Medina
Join us for the closing reception of SOMOS by artist Tina Medina on Saturday, January 28th from 5:00 PM-8:00 PM.
Meet the artist and learn more about Somos and future exhibits during the Artist Talk.
