Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Claudia Chagoya. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Claudia , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful project I have worked on is titled “A Rose for Remembrance.” It is an artistic project and flower offering that commemorates murdered women, girls, transgender women, Two-Spirit People and people who identified as female. “A Rose for Remembrance” consists of rose petals individually encased in resin, each containing a name and dates carefully incised on them. The objective of this project is to name and commemorate those whose lives have been cut short due to gender violence. “A Rose for Remembrance” sought to collaborate with family members, organizations and individuals to share the name of a person who was a victim of femicide, relevant date(s), and a short text describing a fond memory or short story of their loved one.

“A Rose for Remembrance” was a very fulfilling experience, and at the same time very emotionally challenging. I’m very grateful for the people that trusted the project and shared their stories with me. This allowed me to have meaningful connections and more personal conversations with the participants.

Online Memorial: https://www.claudiachagoya.com/a-rose-for-remembrance

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I’m an interdisciplinary artist born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and I’m currently based in Calgary. I hold an MFA degree from the University of Calgary and a BFA from Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

My art practice engages with topics such as the diverse, ingrained, misogynistic understanding of women prevalent in Mexican society, and the violence waged against them stemming from these assumptions. The most extreme outcome of this violence is Feminicide; the term is defined as the killing of women because of their gender, where outrageous acts of violence are present. In Mexico, feminicide manifests in the thousands of women and girls murdered each year. The term also encompasses the imbalance of the gender power structures in Mexico, and the corruption and neglect from the authorities surrounding these murders. This attitude of neglect affects deeply the way victims are mourned and how families try to overcome the tragedy. This disruption of grieving processes is what my current work focuses on. I explore such matters through the use of materials rooted in Mexican culture, tied to various rituals such as: rebozos, salt, copal and sawdust. My practice also incorporates the use of rose petals to commemorate victims of feminicide.

Due to the nature of my artwork and research, I’m currently focused on community engaged projects, and the creation of safe spaces for the bereaved and for victims of violence. The goal of my work is to invite the community to grieve together and enable social engagement through the contemplation of mourning rituals within an artistic practice. Violence against women in Mexico is an important subject to draw attention to, but I’m aware that in Canada exists a similar problematic with the thousands of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirt People. My aim is to open the dialogue about these issues, explore artistic practices as activism, and build aesthetic experiences as a door to social action. I consider that engaging people in these matters is important to find new forms of creating supportive communities and cross-cultural understanding.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Buying art from local artists, attending their shows or markets, or even sharing their work (and crediting the artist) on social media or with your peers. It is very common for people to ask artists to give their work for free or to sell it very cheap, without considering all the effort that is put into the creation of their art. I consider important that individuals and organizations remunerate artists fairly.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

The goal of my artistic practice is to open the dialogue about gender violence, and create connections with diverse communities. I’m interested in exploring art as a form of activism and a mourning ritual, along with the creation of supportive communities and cross-cultural understanding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.claudiachagoya.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claudiachagoya.art/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claudiachagoya.art/