Olivia Prado

In Between: este lado y el otro lado

This work is a hybrid of images and writing that challenges the idea of what it means to make work as a Mexican-American artist. Over the past year I have tried to explain how I felt about my community and how I fit into it. This collection is my way of explaining ideas about racism, family, and labor through the lens of my own life. I hope by talking about my experiences, people will begin to understand where I come from as a Mexican-American. I wanted to create a work that encompassed the confusion I feel around navigating my own identity. When making this work, I was faced with people wanting to dictate the topics I was making work about. I felt challenged to talk about all of the different parts that make up my Mexican-American identity, rather than choosing one that someone else suggested I narrow it down to. I encourage my audience to go though my book and begin to understand how complexly woven our identities can be and to allow yourself to accept that you may never see the full puzzle that makes up someone else’s.