La Güita [Calgary]

My name is Josee Palacio, I am a 2D visual artist practicing acrylic painting and traditional printmak-ing methods. My current practice centers on my Nicaraguan upbringing in a Canadian landscape, where the topic of identity has always been at the core of my message. My interest lies in creating work that helps cultivate community to reflect and question issues of time, place, and identity.

As an artist, I introduce Latin American Canadian narratives and strive to seek out justice and love for our bodies. When my paintbrush touches the canvas, I find myself answering the question, “how do I represent myself as a person of color in society” and this question is always infused in my work. Through the lens of my inescapable identity, my work recognizes the historical context of my identity as a Nicaraguan Canadian by way of examining conquered spaces controlled by years of Spanish colonized oppression. The figures in my work engage with political, social, and cultural concerns who demand justice and reclamation of their indigeneity, sacredness, liberation, and inherent divinity.