Madison Padilla - HOME HERE GALLERY EXHIBITION SHORT ESSAY

HOME HERE GALLERY EXHIBITION SHORT ESSAY

    HOME HERE is a site-specific art exhibition featuring the works of 11 women artists, exploring themes of history and memory. All 11 pieces exist within the same room. They are juxtaposed with deliberate intent as a method of guiding the viewer's perspective and logic through the space. The curatorial narrative of this exhibition is that rather than 11 separate works, they function together as a shared narrative to connect and tell a bigger story. After visiting the exhibition, two contemporary artworks that I would like to analyze as activist artworks are Tina Maneca’s Portuguese Rooster and Cowboy Books and Jaz Graf’s Phantom Entanglement, 2026.

    Tina Maneca works in various mediums and diverse concepts while retaining a special focus on sculptures and installations. Her installation "COMFORT IS AN ACTION" references a nursery room with vibrant elements from the 1950s, using items like a vintage bassinet, assemblages, a handmade quilt, and stuffed animals. Most of the materials are 80% recycled, both from resourcefulness and having the work reference itself over time. I have also recycled items to create art regarding my own work. She explores how “safe spaces” like home and childhood can be complicated or ruined by people seeking emotional and psychological relief, such as through substance use. I have chosen this work to review because I was interested in the origin behind her Portuguese rooster and the Cowboy Books. It references Maneca’s early childhood, when she lived in Portugal until she was 5 years old. Maneca grew up in a strict Portuguese family, and her father emigrated to the U.S. when he was just 15-16 years old. The Rooster, more specifically known as the Rooster of Barcelos (Galo de Barcelos), acts as a quintessential symbol and the national bird of Portugal. The figurine is a common decoration in Portugal, representing good luck, justice, and faith. The Cowboy books were owned by her father. While they are written in Portuguese, they reference American culture. Forcing people to be a certain way or choosing one identity over the other is limiting and stressful psychologically. As a first-generation American, these items are meant to portray Maneca’s blended identity between both American and Portuguese cultures. This work is activist through Maneca's way of challenging cultural identity. In Artists Using Their Creativity to Drive Activism, I felt the quote "in every fight for justice, there is a story to be told," resonated with Maneca's work. Art provides a medium for storytelling and evoking empathy. Art activism makes stories visible and impossible to ignore. She represents how her roots are blended together rather than being separated into groups. 

Tina Maneca, Portuguese Rooster and Cowboy Books

    Jaz Graf is a transdisciplinary artist who focuses on familial roots and how humans connect to the earth through her work. She uses a wide range of natural, handmade materials, such as textiles, paper, prints, and books. The idea of “home” shifts through time and location. Through this, she is able to create pieces that feel both ancient and contemporary. I have chosen this work to review because Graf's Phantom Entanglement really captured my attention, mainly through texture and sheer scale. I have used different types of material in my works before. Her large installation acts as a portal to other places. It represents her longing for a proper home while being tied to another place. She connects to her family using sai sin (monk-based string) and ties her art to her ancestors and heritage from Thailand. The roots have a double meaning, connecting the physical “dialogue” between nature and civilization and how they shape a person’s identity across generations. However, in the exhibit, they serve as a visual aspect to convey an abstract sense of growth and decay. Her identity is directly related to the earth itself. In her statement, Graf describes how she remains at the gate, not fully in one world or the other, trying to balance both her current life and her ancestral origins. This work is activist by merging female ancestral elements for cultural narratives. In Chapter 2, PROCESS, The Art of Activism, Duncombe and Lambert state how "the creative process is something that every artist develops and masters over the course of many years, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach." People have individual methods when it comes to being creative. It is more important to find the correct method that clicks for people personally rather than to follow a set standard. Graf uses older materials to connect nature to civilization and bring ancient practices into the contemporary art world.

Jaz Graf, Phantom Entanglement, 2026