CREATE 2/11/2021 Art Yard Interview Artist "Glendalys Medina"

sarah.a.g · 2021-02-11T23:09:21.970Z

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Glendalys Medina is an interdisciplinary visual artist who was born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx. Through abstracting and reconstituting forms drawn from both traditional and contemporary popular culture, she creates a visual syntax that acts as both a personal language and as an autonomous, self-validating expression of personal identity. Q1. Describe your first memory of making or viewing art. . My uncle made the first piece of art I ever saw. It’s a beautiful piece that influences me to this day. It’s an image of El Morro in Puerto Rico made out of nails and string. It hangs In my parents’ house, and when I visit, I still admire it with much gratitude. The first piece I remember making was writing my nickname in bubble letters; growing up in The Bronx during the 80s, I heavily influenced by graffiti. Q2. How would you describe your artwork and the ideas that compel you as an artist? . I investigate how patterns like habits, perspective, and value structures download into our psyche. Historically, societies categorized and define using image and language. To redefine history, I blend geometry, neuro-linguistic programming, self-help, the New Thought movement, Caribbean and Hip-Hop culture into an interdisciplinary practice that deconstructs image and language, disrupting the downloading of patterns to create new value structures reclaiming a higher self. Q3. What materials & methods do you use? My materials and methods alter every time I make a new body of work. What is constant is my visual language. I’m a conceptual artist , so I usually start with an idea and choose what medium and material would best suit it. After that is settled , I get to work on manifesting. Q4. What do you see as the role of an artist in society? An investigator that shares their findings with intention and purpose. Q5. What advice would you give to a student and/or another artist? Make a yearly plan, seek the lesson in the failure, find like-minded people, understand that you are an entrepreneur, and remember that a loving and grateful spirit is the Midas touch. Q6. What books are you reading now, or do you recommend? “Latinx Art: Artists, Markets, and Politics” by Arlene Dávila, Duke University Press, 2020 Glendalys Medina’s work is included in “Latinx Abstract” on view both virtually and in-person at BRIC House (647 Fulton St) through May 2, 2021.

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