Exhibition runs May 1—July 14, 2018
Opening May 17, 2018 from 6-8pm.
This exhibition is part of the 2018 Medalta International Artists in Residence program.
Carlos Rojas has spent the past few years living in new cultures. In the exhibition, Adaptation, he explores this experience through the eyes of a doll. Carlos’ mother once broke a German doll. It was rare, expensive, and available to only wealthy families because it was made of porcelain. When Carlos was young he visited the markets in Mexico to buy inexpensive versions of this same doll. These were available because local artisans had begun using German moulds and wet paper to create a doll easily accessible to all children. This illustrates how through migration individuals and cultures adapt to new environment to create hybrids, the central theme of Carlos’ work.
The doll is symbol of childhood, it’s a time when you form the foundation of your identity, and it represents home, family, tradition, and history. Using found moulds as his canvas Carlos employs symbolism from Mexico, Germany, Canada, and France to tell his personal story of migration as well as stories of immigration in history.
