Today we’d like to introduce you to Dina Perlasca

Hi Dina, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I am a Mexican American artist from the border of Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua in Mexico and El Paso, Texas in the United States. I grew up in both cities, living in either one at different periods of my life amongst other places like San Diego, California, my grandfathers rannch in Xicalango Hidalgo in Mexico and Las Cruces New Mexico. I am a mother of 3 amazing kids living in El Paso Texas. I am an Assistant Professor of Instruction at The University of Texas at El Paso where I teach Ceramics and Design. I am constantly exhibiting my work nationally and internationally. My most recent exhibitions were at the Roswell Museum and at the Juarez Museum of Art. Supporting my community, contributing to the ceramic field and research are important to me. I am the Secretary of the board of directors of Artaxis as well as co-leader in El Bravo Studios at the IDRB Interdisciplinary Research Building at The University of Texas at El Paso.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Ive had to overcome a lot of obstacles, as many other successful hispanic woman in the Mexican American border. Ive worked hard every day for what I believe in: I am a single mother, an artist, a mentor, and an example to all those young woman that choose a similar path than mine.
I will continue to evolve and grow as gracefully and courageously as I can.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

My artistic practice is motivated by the need to articulate what I carry forth from my ancestral past and what I create from my own contemporary desire. I work mostly in clay, as well as natural elements that compliment it such as textiles, wood, natural pigments. I utilize abstracted narrative though familial simulations of domestic Mexican modern spaces that act as a portal to intangible psychological spaces in my mind. Within these spaces I am able explore my own human needs, experiences and circumstances such as shelter, protection, sense of self, passion, drive, love, desire, purpose and journey. My practice is greatly inspired by my personal Mexican upbringing; equally influenced by the folk art of central Mexico where my grandparents settled, and the domestic aesthetics of borderland living between Mexico and the United States. Generated from these experiences, my work possesses encoded knowledge that creates an in-between, surreal environment. The ethos of my work is mysterious, and reflective as I explore Mesoamerican mythologies to create my own idols, symbols and beliefs.

What do you like and dislike about the city?

I live on the border of the United State and Mexico, I love both El Paso TX and Cd. Juarez. I have family on both sides of the border and constantly cross the Rio Bravo that divides both countries.
This area has grown and evolved since I was a young. El Paso and Juarez are both now big cities full of color and Mexican American heritage. This borderland area has its own culture, it is like nothing I have experience before, it is welcoming and supportive of its people on both sides. There are many collaborative events and activities between both sides. The community I belong to is like me, they are constantly traveling across, exhibiting their work on both sides as well as including their big, loving and supportive friends and families in everything they do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dinaperlasca.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinaperlasca/?__d=11