7:23

UNIVERSITY IN SAINT FRANCIS -
WEATHERHEAD & GOLDFINCH GALLERY
On View August 23 - October 17, 2021

7:23 is composed of various commemorations developed during the process of various years. Through the act of painting, I deal with the incomprehensible process of illness, inevitability of death, and the celebration of my uncle Goyo. The visual representations showcase the irreversible experience of loss and glorification. Within the rigorous process of accumulation, I am able to cope with reality, in an attempt to give the subjects, the respect and attention, they deserve. By adding and subtracting, I try and bring forward the physical, emotional, and phycological trauma experienced during such delicate events. 

The artworks reference the passing of my uncle Gregorio Aguirre who passed away on October 12, 2016. As the title indicates, 7:23 a.m. was the instance I was notified of my uncle’s passing, forever engraving that moment in my memory. Due to his untimely passing, many of my immigrant family was unable to attend his funerary ceremony held in Durango, Mexico which led to an immensely emotional toll on my family as a whole. In order to atone for my absence, I gathered the objects that were present during and after the time of his passing, inspiring me to make a symbolic homage that allows us to be present during his final moments. Ultimately, these compositions come to symbolize the fragility of our lives and the malleability of remembrance.

PAINTINGS

DRAWINGS