The Ceramics Program, Office for the Arts at Harvard is pleased to present an exhibition by our 2015-2017 Artist-In-Residence, Salvador Jiménez-Flores. “Nadie descubrio las Americas | No One Discovered the Americas” will be on view from August 29 – September 24 in Gallery 224 at the Ceramics Program, Office for the Arts at Harvard at 224 Western Ave, Allston, MA 02134. A gallery reception will be held on Friday, September 9, 2016 from 5pm - 7pm. The exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public.
"My art practice is informed by historical revisionism and explores the themes of colonization, migration (voluntary or involuntary), “the other,” stereotypes and cultural appropriation. I am particularly interested in events that have shaped history in the Americas and its people. In this new body of work titled Nadie descubrio las Americas, I explore the questions of what does it mean to discover or to be discovered, and what are the consequences of the imposition of religion, language and culture to the “discovered” group. Through a visual and cultural syncretism in this series of self-portraits, I combine Pre-Columbian imagery with relevant, present imagery and symbols as a hybrid form.
Our nation is currently echoing messages of hate, xenophobia, oppression and inequality. As an immigrant, I have experienced this oppression and the challenges of migrating and adapting to a foreign culture, language, and lifestyle. As an artist I feel I have the responsibility to address the issues that affect my community and to create awareness and propose actions through my art."
