Cรณsmica VOLUME 2
This is the second volume of the Cรณsmica zine showcasing artwork made by Cรณsmica artists. In these pages you will find images of artwork and text explaining the works.
Maribel Falcón
Estoy Aquí, 2016 -
made for No Shade Art Show + Bazaar in LA Estoy aquí, para ti. I am here for you - represents two friends, two sisters, tied spiritually, emotionally, physically, mentally. The connection of being there for one another, present and supportive throughout it all.
Abuelo's Hands, 2015
- made for Mexic-Arte's Mix N' Mash exhibition in Austin, Texas Abuelo's hands is a photo of my grandfather's hands, Susano Falcon. He drove the trucks for the Pecos cantaloupe fields. Farm workers understand the land, respect the land, toil the land. Esta tierra es su tierra - this land is your land does not equate possession or ownership, but rather a connection with Mother Earth. Something no one can take away.
La Agradecida, 2016
- made for AF3IRM's Recuerdo / Alaala /ةركاذ/ Remembrance: Earrings of Shadow and Light exhibition in LA, and this year in SF and NY The show murdered offering grateful
asked to make an earring representing the issue of and missing indigenous women. I decided to make an of gratitude, despite the darkness, we are still for life.
Nevena Dzamonja
‘Desert Visions,’ screenprint, 2015
‘Trust No,’ screenprint, 2016 ‘Trust No’ is rooted in the history of power,
capitalism, colonialism and violence, but was specifically inspired when I found out a coworker was a Trump supporter. It’s about the feeling of betrayal knowing that someone who worked and socialized with so many immigrants and people of color had this secret hateful agenda even after we had all treated him with kindness and open friendship.
‘Angela’, screenprint, 2016 (above)
‘Omnipresence,’ linoleum print, 2016 (left) ‘Omnipresence’ is a linocut about the ever present homegirl bond in our daily lives and how we rely on it for support.
Barbara Calderón
‘A Sagittarius Bruja,’ collage on wood, 2015
Las Tres Gracias is a play on the idea of the Three Graces--youth, joy, and elegance-- from ancient mythology, but instead of personifying the three natures using the traditional white female, I use Lowrider magazine models.
‘Las Tres Gracias,’ collage on wood, 2015
‘Girl in the Cosmos,’ digital collage, 2016
Itzel Alejandra
A Tribute to Water:
This is a still from a short video made June 2016. Early 2016, I traveled with my mom to Truth or Consequences, NM, known for their hot springs. Coming from a working class background we always vacationed to either free or inexpensive natural waters, parks, beaches, farm, and mountains. This was no different.
My mother since a young age either consciously or not made me value nature in a way that I have carried into my adult life. When ever I see my mom swim in water, I feel her spirit free and in love, even within the constraints of a bath tub, she loves the hot water on her skin. She says it heals her and helps her with her dark spots. This is a tribute to her water, our water.
self love.gif:
True self love is a revolutionary act. It goes beyond the bath salts and getting your nails did (although that can be a part of it.) True self love in my opinion is a process that we continue to learn throughout our life because we are continuously encountering new traumas that make us question our worth and value. To look within, to see ourselves, our true selves, and really love our spirit is completely revolutionary because it means we love everything that has made us: our past, our ancestors and roots, our interests, our problems, our passions, our biology, etc. In a world that promotes hate and competition, true self love is the only escape.
breeze > wires and cables:
I find myself trapped in my phone constantly, floating in between tabs, apps, windows, and ideas. I don’t know when it happened but it feels like an extension of myself. I want to let it go but I'm obsessed with it. The times I find peace without it is when I am in nature or find a glimpse of it in the city. in flowers, trees, rain, the breeze, even over any wires and cables. (left photo)
Lauren Trejo
In the summer of 2016, I ran the New York City marathon and fundraised for Free Arts NYC, an organization dedicated to after school programming and art mentoring for kids and youth. It was an eye opening experience. As a womyn I pushed my body through discomfort, exhaustion while still raising 3k and running 26.2 miles. At my last fundraising event I made art collages dedicated to some bad ass Latina athletes who continue to break boundaries and are no strangers to the female struggle.
Coatlicue, collage on canvas, Cรณsmica Goddess series, 2015
Maria Guadalupe Gonzalez Romero is a Mexican racewalker, former boxer, gold medalist at the 2015 Pan American Games, and is the national record holder in the 20 kilometers race walk, Collage on Wood, 2016. (Pictured above)
Laurie Hernandez, Gymnast debuting in her first Olympics games summer 2016. Hernandez is the second US-born Latina to ever make the USA Olympic gymnastics team since 1984, Collage on Wood, 2016.
Katherine Switzer, American author, television commentator, and marathon runner known for being the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as a numbered entry in 1967, collage on wood, 2016.
April I. Siqueiros
Dreamland: snake in icy planet, acrylic on canvas, 2016 I had a dream 5 years ago that inspired this painting. My brother and I were on a rocket ship and landed on a very icy planet. When we stepped onto the ice I saw several snakes slithering inside and within the large chunks of ice. I woke up before I did any exploring but the dream itself was very white and the snakes were bluish-green. The painting is darker than what took place in dreamland, having used some of my favorite colors; teal and purple.
Painting both fills me and depletes me so to balance things out I look to other forms of creating so that I don’t lose momentum. Instant Photography: Recently, I went to a cactus garden in Balboa Park, San Diego an hour before sunset with my Polaroid Land Camera 210. The results were mixed but I justify continuing instant photography, even with its constraints, because the dreamy photos that come out always draw me in. Zines: I’ve gotten deeper into zine-making, which I’m grateful for because I find this form of selfpublishing to be empowering. My zine, Valley of Paradox, has two issues so far; one about childhood stories and another about my fascination of outer space. I love everything about the process, from thinking about a theme to watching the pages come out of the printer.
Grey Eyed Athena, collage on canvas, Cósmica Goddess Series, 2015
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