janet romero-leiva
i make art because it is the best way i know to communicate the complexities of my intersecting identities; queer, feminist, working class, immigrant, womyn, daughter. my work focuses mostly (but is not limited to) issues of displacement, denied aboriginality, queer identity and living en dos lenguas.* i am a writer, performer and visual artist inspired by wood, paper, nature, love….and my lived experience. art provides a window into parts of me i shy away from, feel ashamed of, and want to heal…the things i often do not have the language for.
i want my art to challenge, create discomfort, illicit emotion and shift even just a tiny part of you, plant a seed, take your breath away, or create a revolution. i am moved by the writing of Gloria Anzaldua, lines on the faces of strangers, moments of love shared in an instant, the desire for a just and fair existence for all, the art of Yolanda Lopez, the music of Rae Spoon, the nakedness of trees in the winter, the laughter of strangers, and the feeling of flying like a golondrina.*
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1-in two languages/tongues
2-swallow