404Mestizos

Year: 2020

Media: Quilt

Dimensions: 86" x 93"

404 is an internet protocol that means the place that houses the info you are seeking online has been located, but your access has been denied. I’m looking at this internet protocol through family, legacy and identity.

Mestizos is a word that describes someone who is mixed race, especially one having spanish and indigenous descent. This piece is about being 1st generation and how assimilation destroys ancestry. My parents never taught me who my grandparents were or what their homeland was like. I imagine their immigration journey was tough and the trauma of leaving may have been enough to keep the story secret. 

This quilt is about not knowing how to belong and making your way with instinct, curiosity and self love. There are mistakes, and rips, and misalignments - but I find that all adds character and joy. Perfection in quilting- although quite beautiful and impressive, doesn’t hold the quarks of the journey that craft the complex story of identity.