Preventive Care (Without Control), 2024
Wooden crates covered with vinyl tarp and ratchet strapped to a Honda Fit 2019 car on stands and polyethylene foams with wheel chocks, gaffers tape on the ground, instant photos and Tip ’n’ Tell shipping indicator placed on the car.
112” x 161.4” x 67”
I participated in one of Alberto Aguilar's many free curated events as part of his residency at the Chicago Humanities. This one-day exhibition showcased artists and their vehicles as installation spaces in the National Museum of Mexican Art parking lot.
My installation combined gestures from previous artworks that depict emotional distress and the compulsion to over-prepare for uncertain outcomes. These range from creating a plan to safely install an artwork to anxiously awaiting changes in immigration policies that could affect one’s life. It could also be dealing with the unexpected, for example having my car towed the night before this exhibition and navigating a bureaucratic system that exploits people.
Neither You nor I Are In Control, 2024
Gallery pedestals, acrylic sheet, ratchet straps, polyurethane foam, wire rope, swaging sleeves, turnbuckles, eye bolt, coupling nut, hex bolt, hex nut, fender washer, toggle suspended from gallery wall
40 x 61 x 12 in
In this assemblage piece, I tap into emotions I experience during the bureaucratic immigration process, for example: filling out DACA renewal paperwork, waiting for the US Department of Homeland Security’s approval, or the time leading up to a renewal. I try to do everything I can to be in good standing to continue to exist and work but do not realize the emotional distress this and other aspects of my life have caused me.
By suspending two leaning pedestals with a plexiglass sheet between them held with ratchet straps, a potential hazard is created. Over time the wall could give out or an individual can unhook the cable. Knowing these and other potential risks, I place polyurethane foam underneath the pedestals.
Artwork included in my solo exhibition, CONDITION REPORT
Photo courtesy by Mikey Mosher
Preventive Care (Embrace), 2023
Clammed handmade cement blocks with insulation foam on polyethylene foam
6.75" x 11.75" x 9.5”
Preventive Care (Corazón), 2023
