Over the summer, I will be conducting a creative research project that investigates my identity as a Colombian American through three large-scale mixed media paintings. My primary inspiration in creating these works is the concept of hybridity as a bridge between the natural and cultural realms. With a definition originating in biology, hybridity has historically referenced the crossing of two unlike species to create a unique offspring. In recent years, however, the term has been adopted by scholars to describe the products of cultural fusion and interaction. Born and raised in Florida to two Colombian immigrants, I have personally experienced this blending of traditions, beliefs, and language within and outside the home.
Through depictions of hybridized wildlife and vegetation alongside Colombian iconography, I will be exploring this intersection of nature and cultural identity and the factors that have constructed my identity throughout the years. Growing up, I have always looked to my heritage and the beauty of nature as inspirations for my art. Whether it be drawing family members or dozens of animals from field guides and YouTube tutorials, my artwork has consistently reflected my passions for these two subjects. These fusions will serve as emblems of cultural pride and the fascinating products of migration in an increasingly globalized society.
Through the development of three new, hybridized entities composed of both Colombian and native Floridian flora and fauna, I will mirror the effects of migration and cultural fusion. Taking components of these plants and animals, I will merge them into new fantastical creatures, embodiments of my own cultural exchanges over the years. Alongside these natural components, the paintings will draw influence from Colombia’s rich and diverse history of handicrafts. I will be investigating several artisanal artforms, such as the geometric textile patterns of the Wayuu tribe, precolonial gold metalworking, and the Tamo woodworking technique of Pasto, my grandfather’s hometown. To further embrace the concept of hybridity, I will be investigating a blend of media in these works.
While my primary material is acrylic paint, I am interested in utilizing layering and collage to mimic the techniques of traditional Colombian craft. For instance, I will cut, paint, and paste paper or fabric onto the canvases to mirror the process of Tamo de Pasto, the art of decorating woodwork using fine threads of straw or chaff. Collage will also be used to create a border around the works inspired by geometric Wayuu bag motifs. I am also inspired by the abstracted creatures, mythological forms, and ornate jewelry of Colombia’s precolonial goldworks, and wish to convey these features by incorporating gold leaf into the paintings. These paintings will also allude to a tradition of hybridized human and animal creatures in pre-Columbian metalworking.
Working on this series over the summer will be incredibly beneficial to my artistic practice and career. I am exploring similar themes in my research towards a BFA thesis, and the application process for this grant will help me immensely in the development of future proposals and grant applications. So far, I have explored the concept of hybridity in my work with a focus on gold metalworking as artisanal inspiration. Reinterpreting the forms of these gold pendants and figurines, I have created colorfully abstracted works and sculptural paintings. These also depict the patterns of Colombian wildlife and vegetation such as a jaguar’s spots and the colors of orchid flowers.
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