Location

Museum of Ventura County Pavilion
100 E. Main St.
http://www.artwalkventura.org/museum-of-ventura-county-pavilion.html

Description

Elizabeth Souza
My work is a visual record of my identity as a person of mixed ethnic identity. Stories permeate my work; some stories are true, some are not.  I share them to build connections that follow a maternal line instead of those that have been force-fed by patriarchally influenced, mainstream history.  My history painting transforms shame into vulnerability as I grapple with memories on the brink of erasure. Archival and vintage photographs, from both found and personal sources, are layered with natural and textile patterns. They allude to a dream-like internal space tinged with earthen hues.

This work functions as Herstory, appropriating, othering, and objectifying to reclaim something lost. These tools of subversion salvage dignity for myself and women like me. Beauty becomes an entry point into my work, making the conversation accessible to a broad audience. But this work is twofold; while documenting the past, it also reaches into the future, creating a new story, rematriating (a term Indigenous women of Turtle Island use), and restoring balance to my culture, both intellectually and spiritually.