ARIANA ESPINOZA

ARTIST STATEMENT

Hola! My name is Ariana Espinoza but I go by ARi in the art scene. I consider myself to be a narrative artist. I am influenced by Mexican, Chicano and Hispanic culture. I portray the iconography of these cultures within my work to describe themes such as: identity, tradition, religion, beauty, and the female role.  I invite the viewer to observe and interrelate with my work by creating a symbolic narrative, therefore making the viewer interpret the story on their own.  The Mexican/American experience is important to me, being that I am first generation Mexican/ American, I am compelled to describe my culture through personal experience and explore those qualities in my current work.

I capture the viewer’s attention with what I see and feel in regards to the Mexican/American experience.  My body of work displays a variety of moods and genres; that contain symbolic elements that explore the traditional and non-traditional aspects of the culture. There is a recurring passion for the need to push traditional imagery to a more analytical level by taking customary Mexican forms and placing them in a contemporary context.