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Statement
The idea of home as both a tangible place and an abstract concept is paramount in my practice. In my practice, I ponder the social and political implications of home. Who is able to keep their home? What does it mean to make one? These questions are ubiquitous, but especially apply to immigrants, and I often reflect on my family's experiences within my work. By utilizing tactile materials like roving wool, I seek to recall the plushness of childhood. I stylistically reference children’s books to amplify these feelings of comfort. Recurring motifs such as stripes utilize repetition to access surreal and liminal spaces. By reflecting on my own innate desire to be creative, I also reflect on the ways that my childhood informs my understanding of the world.
The work I create exists in the realm of personhood in the 21st century; particularly the manifestation of the mind and body as something constantly at odds with itself. We are persistently being met with higher demands, for example financially and socially; thus what are the impacts of this on us as human beings? By working with a single needle whether that be to felt, embroider, or sgraffito, I meditate through these ideas. Furthermore, the culture of living in a city and the different levels of being seen (from passive observation to voyeurism) surround my work. Within the context of metropolitan living, aforementioned conversations of community and diaspora come into play again.
By connecting childhood nurture to the idea of belonging, I seek to elaborate on a diverse understanding of home and its myriad manifestations within the human experience.
By connecting childhood nurture to the idea of belonging, I seek to elaborate on a diverse understanding of home and its myriad manifestations within the human experience.
Biography
Jiselle Ramírez is a visual artist born and raised in Southern California. She is currently a junior at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she focuses on Fibers, Illustration, and Ceramics. She is an active member of the School of the Art Institute’s Residence Hall Exhibitions Committee where she collaborates to curate and organize bimonthly shows. Ramírez has exhibited in a multitude of exhibitions across Chicago and Los Angeles including Woman Made Gallery’s 26th International Open and Junior High’s CommUnity respectively. She is the recipient of the SAIC Recognition Scholarship and the Travel Merit Scholarship.