Marcelina Gonzales (born 1989) is an American visual artist from Brownsville, Texas.[1][2][3]
According to Gonzales, her work focuses on her identity as a young Chicana growing up in a neighborhood that is often marginalized and misunderstood.[2]
Early life and education
editGonzales states that much of her work is created to reflect and reconstruct her childhood and personal experiences in Brownsville.[2] She had trouble accepting and loving herself and, as a result, developed debilitating depression and anxiety.[4] Gonzales says that she turned to art as a form of therapy which allowed her to pursue empowerment in regards to her gender and cultural identity.[1][4]
Gonzales went on to study at the University of Texas at Brownsville and received a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts in 2013.[1][3]After completing her bachelor's degree, her primary medium became resin collage.[2] Some of her work takes the form of "puzzling-assemblages", a term she uses to refer to the fact that these pieces can become two-dimensional or three-dimensional depending on where her audience may stand.[4][5]
Career
editOutside of art, Gonzales works at an agency that provides home health care coordination to elderly and disabled patients.[6]
As an artist, Gonzales has exhibited her art throughout Texas, California, and New York as well as in Germany, Hungary, and Dubai.[1][4][7] She uses her work to challenge the preconceptions of what it means to be Chicana[8] and the social, political, economic, religious, and sexual role of women living in contemporary America.[9] This can be seen in the GIRLS will be GIRLS: An All-Women Art Exhibition[10] that she personally curated and in her Object collection.[1] She has also used resin collages to create snapshots of her memories growing up in Brownsville[2] which can be seen in her Valley Girl Collection.[1]
Notable works
edit- No Class Tomorrow, Bro! in Images of Power Exhibit, a digital piece that depicts the events that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017[11]
- Tiempo del Vals at Sunrise Mall in Between Two Worlds Exhibit and Valley Girl Collection.[1] A piece that is oil tinted and resin collaged on wood that depicts a quinceñera and her court of honor. This piece can move from two dimensional to three dimensional.[5]
- Let's see what that mouth can do! in GIRLS will be GIRLS: An All-Women Art Exhibition[10] and Valley Girl collection[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "about". Marcelina Gonzales. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ a b c d e "Q+Art: Marcelina Gonzales Explores Identity and Culture with Intimate Resin Works". Not Real Art World. 2021-03-24. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ a b "Virtual Studio Visit: Marcelina Gonzales - Visual Arts Center - The University of Texas at Austin". Visual Arts Center - Department of Art and Art History - University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ a b c d "RGV Life Magazine Issue #1 by RGV Life Magazine - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ a b "Review: 'Between Two Worlds' captures the contemporary visual aesthetic of Texas-Mexico borderland". Sightlines. 2020-10-06. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ MarcelinaGonzales_CoronaCare comp, retrieved 2021-11-25
- ^ Transforming Our World: Art & Self-Care, retrieved 2021-11-25
- ^ "Featured Artist - Marcelina Gonzales". Artist Portfolio Magazine. 2018-12-31. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ Neta (2018-08-03). "Featured Artist: Marcelina Gonzales". Neta. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ a b Longoria, Paulina (2020-01-27). "'An All-Women Art Exhibiotn'". The Rider. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ Coates, Alana; Martinez, Mark Anthony (2018). Images of Power. San Antonio, Texas: Freight Gallery in San Antonio, Texas. pp. 75–77.
Further reading
edit- El Retorno: El Valle Celebra Nuestra Gloria Anzaldúa Luncheon Symposium Catalogue, Edinburg, TX, 2015.
- "Cure for the Blues", by Nancy Moyer, The Monitor, McAllen, TX, 2013.