As a U.S.-American-born woman of Mexican ancestry, I embrace the theory of Xicanisma, a concept that recognizes the indigenous roots of Chicana identity. In this “Xicanciousness,” my work explores displacement and identity informed by a lost connection to my indigenous ancestry, cultural traditions, and family history.

My practice includes a mixed-media approach involving painting, fiber art, installation, video, and performance. I juxtapose soft and ephemeral materials like fabric and cornhusks with themes related to the harshness and devastation of the violent culture and discriminatory policies happening at the U.S.-Mexico border including family migration, labor, and separation. I weave flags together to show the complexity of belonging in bicultural identity and record voices to document the tenacity of a diverse community. Many of my works contemplate the contributions of black and brown families to the cultivation of the lands, economies, and culture of the United States whose physical hard labor of the past and present continues to be overlooked as major contributors to the success of this country. My works are part social justice activism and part ritual, reviving an ancestral and maternal instinct to hold the family in reverence and to raise awareness for human rights.

My inspiration comes from gender roles, ethnicity, nationality, ancestry, and class. I find it essential to revisit the history of the US to remind ourselves how the past informs and shapes the present. My artwork speaks about power and the consequences of colonization and assimilation. I reflect on the loss of culture and tradition and consider the reconfiguration of creating a new sense of self an integral survival mechanism. In my work, I explore juxtapositions of history with cultural symbols to reflect the narratives of those whose stories are rarely told.