Sandra C. Fernández’s exhibition showcased her series, Borders. These embellished prints contemplate both the concept of borders as well as their reality, by focusing on the objects left behind by those crossing the Rio Grande. While the beauty of Fernández’s art naturally appeals to people of many cultures and faith traditions, it is clear that she approaches her work from a Latina, Catholic perspective. Through her work, Fernández opens the door for engagement related to immi- gration and other social justice issues.
About the Artist
I am a Latina who was born in Queens, New York, and grew up in Quito, Ecuador. My art is the record of my personal experience as an immigrant, mother, and Latina. I understand all art to be a personal aesthetic mediation. Mine includes a prolonged engagement with pain and deracination but also with pleasure, self-fulfillment and community engagement. Like most humans I have experi- enced trauma, loss, and loneliness, as well as the intense love of community and family. My art has sought to capture these feelings throughout my life using various techniques and materials.
My work during the last few years has reflected issues related to migration across the border with Mexico into the U.S. As a Latina who lived in Texas for many years, I was constantly exposed to both the lived experience and the rhetoric about “illegal migration.” I often came across the undocu- mented: on the streets; in stores; in entire neighborhoods in Austin, where Spanish was the only language spoken or understood. As I have traveled throughout the country to many major cities, I have realized that populations of this kind exist everywhere. These encounters have influenced my latest work, which explores the phenomenological aesthetics of the undocumented.
- Sandra C. Fernández
CARe caught up with Sandra in 2018 -- be sure to read her reflection and updates on the CARe Package Blog! And read the piece Crossings/Mojándose: Works by Sandra C. Fernández–On Weaving “Fugitive Identities” and Strategies of Resistance written by GTU PhD alum Yohana Junker.