Into The Great Wide Open

I created this linoleum block print during an artist residency in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I was an artist in residence with two indigenous artists, Marika Swan and Tania Willard at the W2 Cultural Center. During my time in Vancouver, I submerged myself in the visual language of that region, and was inspired by the symbolism around me and the art created by the other artists in residency. I created this linoleum block to celebrate my ancestors, the Quechuas, even though I have not been able to connect with them due to the displacement of my parents from their homelands. My time in Vancouver inspired me to reconnect with my indigeneity, to research Quechua symbolism and to tap into the visual culture of the Pacific Northwest.

The piece is named after a song from Tom Petty - Into the Great Wide Open. The lyrics say: Into the great wide open Under them skies of blue Out in the great wide open A rebel without a clue