Karla García
Karla García creates works that speak about her Mexican and Mexican American identity in the United States through the symbol of the cactus, land, and memory. She creates sculptures, drawings, and objects emphasizing clay as symbolic of her borderland upbringing. The sculptural form of the cactus highlights her Mexican identity, which points the viewer to Mexican cultural history and recreates the concept of the desert landscape through her installation practice.
Artist Statement
Migration is often a necessity for a better life. As individuals, we carry the memories of our homes, friendships, and our own unique stories. My body of work explores migration, memory, and land rooted in the desert landscapes of the cities I grew up in Mexico and the United States. Cacti plants are translated into organic sculptures made with terracotta clay. The sculptural forms connect the plant, the body, and the earth, vary in scale, and represent memories that have been eroded by time.
The use of clay is the primary material used in my work through coil-built and pinched cacti sculptures. Clay is also used to create artworks informed by the language of landscapes such as drawings with clay on paper, and other objects that reflect the landscape of the desert on both sides of the border. I aim to create moments of introspection about our shared land that connects rather than separates us.
Learn more about Karla’s work at https://www.karlamichellgarcia.com/
