Llamáme Por Mi Nombre | Kiara Aileen Machado
October 6 - November 4, 2023
Artist Statement: My work centers around the importance and complexities of intersecting identities due to migration and forced displacement. I identify as Central American, as my mother is from Guatemala, my father is from El Salvador and my great grandmother was from Honduras. Through this cultural framework, my work brings into question the absence and exclusion of Central American folx from mainstream u.s. and Latin(x)(e) narratives.
Working with oil on canvas, my paintings are composed with lush botanicals that envelope and obscure the figure. With thick, visible brushstrokes in congruence with a vivid and saturated color palette, the paintings demand attention from the viewer. With hidden imagery and meaning throughout the composition, I work as a story teller weaving a narrative that reveals itself to the viewer over time. In my previous work, my figures have been secondary, as a way of demonstrating Central American erasure. In my new work, the figures take center stage, to further amplify their voices and force the viewers to acknowledge their presence and cement their identities into tangible forms. Fueled by frustration due to the lack of inclusion and microaggressions caused by white institutions, I am proud to be able to create paintings that serve as documentation of our existence and go beyond our trauma. Despite all the atrocities we have and continue to endure, I want to express the beauty of our culture, and the continuing resilience and will to survive.
*united states is not capitalized, as history has repeatedly shown the vital participation of the united states complicity and exploitation in the destabilization of Central America.
Artist Bio:
Kiara Aileen Machado is a contemporary artist born in Lynwood who depicts and explores the construction of identity, femininity, and culture in her work. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in painting and drawing from California State University Long Beach. Her artwork has been seen in museums and galleries across the united states and has begun to show internationally including, Florence, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, and San Salvador.
Working with oil on canvas, my paintings are composed with lush botanicals that envelope and obscure the figure. With thick, visible brushstrokes in congruence with a vivid and saturated color palette, the paintings demand attention from the viewer. With hidden imagery and meaning throughout the composition, I work as a story teller weaving a narrative that reveals itself to the viewer over time. In my previous work, my figures have been secondary, as a way of demonstrating Central American erasure. In my new work, the figures take center stage, to further amplify their voices and force the viewers to acknowledge their presence and cement their identities into tangible forms. Fueled by frustration due to the lack of inclusion and microaggressions caused by white institutions, I am proud to be able to create paintings that serve as documentation of our existence and go beyond our trauma. Despite all the atrocities we have and continue to endure, I want to express the beauty of our culture, and the continuing resilience and will to survive.
*united states is not capitalized, as history has repeatedly shown the vital participation of the united states complicity and exploitation in the destabilization of Central America.
Artist Bio:
Kiara Aileen Machado is a contemporary artist born in Lynwood who depicts and explores the construction of identity, femininity, and culture in her work. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in painting and drawing from California State University Long Beach. Her artwork has been seen in museums and galleries across the united states and has begun to show internationally including, Florence, Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, and San Salvador.
