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Solo Show: Hipsta-Veras
ArtBistro | Estudio Martita
October 18, 2010
Hipsta-Veras
by Martha Rodriguez, Estudio Martita
Welcome to the Underworld — and don’t forget your wayfarers,
because it’s stylish here.
Meet Martha Rodriguez: a self-taught, Chicana urban folk artist (and no, that’s not her on the left, that’s her work). We’ve chosen her album Hipsta-Veras as our Day of the Dead feature.
The Day of the Dead, or in Spanish, Dia de los Muertos, falls on November 2 of each year. Rather than being a scary or frightening holiday (it’s frequently lumped together with Halloween), Dia de los Muertos is a joyous time for remembering lost loved ones, reflected by vibrant colors, sugary skull treats and overall, the unique Chicano cultural view of death and loss. Ms. Rodriguez’s work takes that lightheartedness a step further into hipster territory, swirling two distinct cultures together to make a delightful collection.
Martha Rodriguez: Artist’s Statement
I am a painter, mixed media artist, installation artist (create altars for Day of the Dead) and design icon image jewelry. I enjoy crossing the lines of all mediums and incorporating them into my varied work.
Over the years, some of the artists I’ve found most influential have been the Mexican muralists of the early 20th century, as well as the work of American innovator Andy Warhol. Raised in the Mexican-American Baptist church, I am fascinated by Catholic religious icons, whose spectacle of pain, blood and tears in the ornate stylization of its churches seemed exotic and forbidding.
I’ve found the combination of Warhol-style pop with a Chicano/Latino aesthetic to be a very comfortable fit for my work. My color palette is rich in primary colors, with scarlet red being dominant. I have always used recycled and found materials and enjoy the process of re-imagining a faded object into a shining, new statement.
I am a Chicana. My artistic endeavors reflect the duality of growing-up American with roots forever planted in beloved Mexico.
