Mandy Cano Villalobos, Aphid 1, 2022, courtesy of the artist and Proyecto T
Artist’s Statement
My practice is a form of cultural scrapping. I use discarded, “rewanted” objects to engage with American identity, familial memory, storytelling and concepts of home. My processes center upon the female, domestic realm. I ritualistically enact women’s work ad infinitum. I wrap, sew, knot, glue, arrange, and rearrange, instilling each piece with craft and care. My laborious assemblages combine the aesthetics of ancient artisanry and folk handiwork, often with a splash of Baroque absurdity.
This intersection of high and low is particularly evident in the Aphid and Barbie series. Delicate and textured, the works evoke sacred artifacts or cherished luxury items. Yet, my materials – shabby doll clothes, candy wrappers, plastic bits and childhood debris – question American notions of worth and achievement. In my zealous attention to minutiae, I assert the import of the trivial and castoff, and offer back transformed remains that reorder the value system of our insta-world. Time, touch, and quiet persistence trump efficiency and transactional exchange.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0)
