Exhibit Highlight: Next to Myself

Liliana Guzmán’s exhibition Next to Myself combines painting and photography to reflect upon the formation of the self as an individual with social and ethnic components.

Each piece is a culmination of layers; the photographic print, gouache paint, charcoal, and other mark-making objects.

Photographic elements ground the body in a concrete physical space, while paint emphasizes what the mind perceives.

This series addresses the sociocultural dualities of her exposure to different conceptions of the Latinx female body and how ethnicity, gender, and memory continuously build upon the many layers that make up who you are.

"In private family spaces as well as in religious social environments such as church or school, the body is either celebrated or restricted"

"The manifestation of cultural and personal dualities is one of the main threads expressed throughout this artwork."

"The meaning and influence of touch and emotional performance (masks) are both prominent in my artwork. The use of the mask obscures the face and acts as a mechanism to compel the viewer to identify with the woman."

"The yellow circles are derived from the religious iconography of the halo, which is meant to signify light, divinity, and a distinct separation between the holy and the laymen and women."