“I used to be among the many first in my household to go to varsity,” artist Salvador Dominguez says. “Years after graduating, I started to comprehend the most important problem was going to be sharing the work I make with these closest to me.”
When artwork is so deeply intertwined with identification, a profound irony can type when making an attempt to share it with family members who haven’t had entry to the identical sources or classes in Western artwork principle and historical past. Even when the work itself is rooted in shared tradition and household connection, how do artists bridge this hole?
The Chicago-based artist confronts this query in a collection of hand-woven vessels titled Mano de Obra. Paying homage to a nostalgic vibrancy from his upbringing in southern California and Mexico, the sensible colours inside Dominguez’s work function cultural markers. Reminiscences of vividly painted homes and colourful statues inside nook shops and carnicerias, or butcher retailers, information the artist’s use of shade and sample, every element tethered to his sense of identification.
Pipe cleaners—that are pretty accessible and simply acknowledged by each kids and adults—proved to be a transparent selection as Dominguez contemplated totally different supplies to work with. Weaving every slender, fuzz-covered wire into practical vessels vastly alters the worth of the fabric in an interesting manner and evokes a well-recognized surroundings during which the artist was raised, the place commerce and craft had been used interchangeably as forex.
Just lately, Dominguez has begun to show his mom, Silvia, the weaving methods he developed with pipe cleaners. He shares:
Her labor inside home life typically went unseen, however her creativeness got here alive via craft and embroidery. By involving her on this inventive course of, I not solely honor her contributions but additionally attempt to keep our connection, remodeling her labor into a visual and valued a part of the work. I stay inquisitive about how this collaborative effort has the potential to bridge the hole between generations, significantly since we stay in separate components of the nation.
To remain impressed, the artist additionally collects a slew of home gadgets. From his mom’s hand-embroidered tortilleros to family textiles like pillowcases and desk runners from Indigenous artisans from Mexico, Dominguez’s assortment of treasured items influences type, sample, and palette in his personal work. Although he has encountered these articles since adolescence, turning to them for analysis has established a brand new, distinctive relationship with the acquainted objects.
Dominguez is anticipating a gaggle exhibition in Antwerp, Belgium this Could with de boer gallery. Discover extra work and updates on the artist’s website and Instagram.
