kaory santillán bueno, "nochtli ‘iyari diptych"
2022
screenprint
exhibition statement
nochtli from the nahuatl, meaning 'prickly pear fruit'
'iyari from the wixaritari, meaning 'heart'
this work looks at the ways in which knowledge is transferred from generation to generation. each print highlights elements of cultural traditions from beadwork to land management and oral storytelling to culinary practices. looking at the naakari (cactus/nopal) as constant reminder of our roots and how environments influence our everyday interactions. this work accumulates over four years of personal documentation and exploration on the subject. these acts of creation instill knowledge onto future generations, they are indispensable ways of being and thinking. there is sacred wisdom in what we do and preserving our lifeways will ensure that other generations can recall upon ancestral knowledge to affirm their relation to this world.
artist statement
the work that i’m interested in producing is reflexive and connective. following an intuitive approach, my artistic process relies on cultural inheritance to influence ideas and guide bodies of work. by mixing states of being, the gap of antiquity and modernity are shortened in an attempt to balance the multiple facets that make up one’s identity. with this in mind, the spatial differences serve to remind us of a sameness -- intertwined by marked experiences, interests, and other attachments. working in the vernacular of craft, i am able to take traditional customs and expand upon them. through historical inquiry and archival frameworks, i am able to develop a lexicon of imagery and language to question and pursue themes of personhood, colonization and reindiginization.
artist bio
kaory santillán bueno is an indigenous (wixarika and na’ayarite) scholar and transdisciplinary artist with an affinity for ceramics. she was born in tepic, nayarit, mexico before migrating to los angeles as a young child. their art is informed by their cultural background and lived experiences. their work and research include identity formation, media representation, systems of communication, and environmentalism as they relate to indigenous futurism. they are a graduate of the university of california, berkeley earning degrees in media studies and art practice in 2022. their work has been featured in the larger bay area at spaces like the berkeley art center, worth ryder art gallery, marin museum of contemporary art, empire seven studios in san jose and works/sanjose. they have also been the recipient of the uc berkeley undergraduate scholarship, department of art practice honors recognition and the departmental award for excellence in the field of ceramics. most recently they have been awarded a fellowship through the city of san jose, through their climate art program, as a part of the 2024 resilient artist cohort. the artist currently resides in unceded tamien – muwekma ohlone land (san jose, california).
2022
screenprint
exhibition statement
nochtli from the nahuatl, meaning 'prickly pear fruit'
'iyari from the wixaritari, meaning 'heart'
this work looks at the ways in which knowledge is transferred from generation to generation. each print highlights elements of cultural traditions from beadwork to land management and oral storytelling to culinary practices. looking at the naakari (cactus/nopal) as constant reminder of our roots and how environments influence our everyday interactions. this work accumulates over four years of personal documentation and exploration on the subject. these acts of creation instill knowledge onto future generations, they are indispensable ways of being and thinking. there is sacred wisdom in what we do and preserving our lifeways will ensure that other generations can recall upon ancestral knowledge to affirm their relation to this world.
artist statement
the work that i’m interested in producing is reflexive and connective. following an intuitive approach, my artistic process relies on cultural inheritance to influence ideas and guide bodies of work. by mixing states of being, the gap of antiquity and modernity are shortened in an attempt to balance the multiple facets that make up one’s identity. with this in mind, the spatial differences serve to remind us of a sameness -- intertwined by marked experiences, interests, and other attachments. working in the vernacular of craft, i am able to take traditional customs and expand upon them. through historical inquiry and archival frameworks, i am able to develop a lexicon of imagery and language to question and pursue themes of personhood, colonization and reindiginization.
artist bio
kaory santillán bueno is an indigenous (wixarika and na’ayarite) scholar and transdisciplinary artist with an affinity for ceramics. she was born in tepic, nayarit, mexico before migrating to los angeles as a young child. their art is informed by their cultural background and lived experiences. their work and research include identity formation, media representation, systems of communication, and environmentalism as they relate to indigenous futurism. they are a graduate of the university of california, berkeley earning degrees in media studies and art practice in 2022. their work has been featured in the larger bay area at spaces like the berkeley art center, worth ryder art gallery, marin museum of contemporary art, empire seven studios in san jose and works/sanjose. they have also been the recipient of the uc berkeley undergraduate scholarship, department of art practice honors recognition and the departmental award for excellence in the field of ceramics. most recently they have been awarded a fellowship through the city of san jose, through their climate art program, as a part of the 2024 resilient artist cohort. the artist currently resides in unceded tamien – muwekma ohlone land (san jose, california).
2022
screenprint
exhibition statement
nochtli from the nahuatl, meaning 'prickly pear fruit'
'iyari from the wixaritari, meaning 'heart'
this work looks at the ways in which knowledge is transferred from generation to generation. each print highlights elements of cultural traditions from beadwork to land management and oral storytelling to culinary practices. looking at the naakari (cactus/nopal) as constant reminder of our roots and how environments influence our everyday interactions. this work accumulates over four years of personal documentation and exploration on the subject. these acts of creation instill knowledge onto future generations, they are indispensable ways of being and thinking. there is sacred wisdom in what we do and preserving our lifeways will ensure that other generations can recall upon ancestral knowledge to affirm their relation to this world.
artist statement
the work that i’m interested in producing is reflexive and connective. following an intuitive approach, my artistic process relies on cultural inheritance to influence ideas and guide bodies of work. by mixing states of being, the gap of antiquity and modernity are shortened in an attempt to balance the multiple facets that make up one’s identity. with this in mind, the spatial differences serve to remind us of a sameness -- intertwined by marked experiences, interests, and other attachments. working in the vernacular of craft, i am able to take traditional customs and expand upon them. through historical inquiry and archival frameworks, i am able to develop a lexicon of imagery and language to question and pursue themes of personhood, colonization and reindiginization.
artist bio
kaory santillán bueno is an indigenous (wixarika and na’ayarite) scholar and transdisciplinary artist with an affinity for ceramics. she was born in tepic, nayarit, mexico before migrating to los angeles as a young child. their art is informed by their cultural background and lived experiences. their work and research include identity formation, media representation, systems of communication, and environmentalism as they relate to indigenous futurism. they are a graduate of the university of california, berkeley earning degrees in media studies and art practice in 2022. their work has been featured in the larger bay area at spaces like the berkeley art center, worth ryder art gallery, marin museum of contemporary art, empire seven studios in san jose and works/sanjose. they have also been the recipient of the uc berkeley undergraduate scholarship, department of art practice honors recognition and the departmental award for excellence in the field of ceramics. most recently they have been awarded a fellowship through the city of san jose, through their climate art program, as a part of the 2024 resilient artist cohort. the artist currently resides in unceded tamien – muwekma ohlone land (san jose, california).