Jeannifer Sandoval

Statement

I have lived in Los Angeles for 23 years and I have never felt so out of touch with my culture and background. Regardless of how much certain places and people remind me of my Mexican heritage, I could not assimilate completely with either being American or Mexican. The only thing I have left is childhood memories of the places I’ve seen in Mexico and the objects that remind me of the purity of my country’s uniqueness. I see the same objects all over Los Angeles but somehow the craft does not compare. There is a certain quality about those objects that could not be replaced by any substitute. The memory of the texture and even the smell of those objects still resonate in my memory and it is like looking back at a different time in a different life, and in a way it is.

These objects are painted from pictures taken in Mexico. Although these are very recognizable objects, they are not be mistaken for cliché representations of Mexican culture. They are objects seen by many all over Los Angeles yet the understanding of a culture far beyond the streets of L.A. could not see more conflicted. As a person who has seen these objects used in their authentic way, I can’t help but feel nostalgia and hesitation when I see the same objects so widely sold on various location in our city, yet these objects at least have a way of identifying and in a way defining those of us who still hold on to our memories but also those who are looking for the very slightest connection to their roots.