I find that with our current political atmosphere, the series “IT’S B*LLSHIT!!” is more relevant than when it was initially created. This series is rooted in the constant grief, sacrifice, and resilience marginalized communities often experience while trying to survive in a system that rejects diversity, equity, and Inclusion. A primary example is the portrayal of the Latino experience. It is often depicted in a manner of celebration and unity, which denies the realities of generational hardships, such as coerced assimilation, poverty, and discrimination.
This exhibition features a collection of mixed media installations and sculptures that echo curiosity, morbid, and familiar forms and symbols central to the product of our post-colonized society. An integral fragment of this exhibition is the experience as an unhoused graduate with no mode of transportation, in a foreign environment. Despite facing hurdles of humiliation, questions of self-worth, and the lack of financial security, inspiration and determination were equally found through the Chicano Rasquachismo movement. Originating from the Spanish words’ “leftover” and “no value”, these sculptures are constructed with discarded, recycled, and found miscellaneous materials. No matter the amount of policy and policing of our existence, there is always power in the manifestation of expression.
Sirena Nieves is a Latino, multi-disciplinary artist raised on the East side of Houston who explores the nuances of mundane domestic materials to reflect on the inadequacy of our current system, which aims to dismantle communities, harm families, and ultimately, exhaust the soul of the individual. Confronting the growing disparity between the cost of traditional art materials and accessibility for working-class creators, she champions the use of readily available resources to create meaningful work. Sirena received her BFA from Lamar University in 2020 and graduated with her MFA from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2024. Sirena’s work has been presented at the ICOSAS Collective gallery in Austin, 2024’s Texas Nationals at the Cole in Nacogdoches, and at the Performing Arts Community Center in Waco. Sirena currently teaches ceramics at Lamar University.