A Visual Artist Based in New Mexico
Monika Guerra (she/they) is a Mexican-American contemporary artist born in Southern California and raised in Southern New Mexico. Guerra's studio practice explores and creates different planes of existence through painting, photography and print - where she constantly questions her position in this reality and her state of the human experience. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Certificate in Business & Entrepreneurship from the Institute of American Indian Arts in 2022.
Some of her recent achievements include working as a Collections and Exhibitions Intern at the Roswell Museum and exhibiting at the Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque, NM.
Statement
My work commonly emotes a sense of curiosity - questioning the fragility of the human experience, and how we may perceive the world around us. Through various styles and mediums, I composes subjects and settings that create different planes of existence, such as wavering states of emotion, journey, and being.
One of the most prominent themes of my work touches upon liminal spaces, or the psychological feeling of being in one. Most works, especially within painting and photography, can depict a nostalgic, often surreal visual of being in a liminal space. The definition of this is also commonly known as a place of transition - which is the most important to consider. No matter where we are in life, we always inevitably find ourselves in "gaps", or transitional periods, with each new ending and beginning - whether that be physical, mental, or emotional. Many can find this state to be disturbing as we can all be afraid of the unknown, but I believe we can benefit from sitting in this "gap" of transition for a little longer than we're used to. Perhaps to use it as a moment of meditation, practicing acceptance, being in the present, and to ask the "Why nots?" and "What ifs?"
I am collectively inspired/influenced by almost every art movement and style of every medium that has had the opportunity to exist under the sun, especially work from other artists of color and within the LGBTQ+ community. I continuously find ways to communicate my ideas that can contribute to the human experience in various ways - perhaps allowing them (and myself) to feel and think much deeper about our lives and the reality we are living.