Transformación
Las manos en la tierra, acrylic, charcoal, and ink on wood, 12x24"
I was first introduced to Mexica (Aztec) traditional ceremonial dance in San José, California. I felt drawn to the ceremonies, due to the colors, drum beats, and movements. I also felt a connection since my heritage is Mexican and Indigenous (Mesoamerican). I began learning the dances and took an even greater interest in learning about my Indigenous heritage. In 2008, at the university I attended in Paris, France, I took an intensive course in classical Nahuatl, the Mexika language. The course included an introduction to understanding the glyph writing found in pre-contact Indigenous Mesoamerican painted books known as codices. Over the years, I collected several of these "amoxtli" and became inspired by the style.
The paintings in the series, Transformation, explore identity, self-transformation, and empowerment. The compositions celebrate balance, the creative power of unity, and the healing potential of human connection. The subjects are inspired by my current events, social issues, and ancestral Indigenous Mexican concepts from Mexika philosophy. The iconography is influenced by Mixtec and Mexika picture/writing glyphs. The images include glyphs in their original form, modified glyphs, and glyphs of my own creation. The paintings are drawn on wood with charcoal, then painted with acrylic and ink. The narratives within paintings are read from right to left, bottom to top, or counter clockwise. The pieces are created on supports of various shapes to match the narrative or subject. Some pieces contain non-traditional media such as color pencil, glitter, and found objects. By breaking with tradition in various aspects of the work, my work draws attention to the power of balance, collective consciousness, transformation based on perspective, and the healing potential of human connection.
Esta serie de mi obra artistica trata temas de identidad, transformación, y fortalecimiento. Tambien se abordan temas de balance, el poder creativo de la unidad, y el poder de sanación que se encuentra en la interacción humana.
As Below, So Above; acrylic and ink on wood; 36x29"
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*One Fire* in Harvard's PALABRITAS, Vol 2, Issue 7
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Elizabeth Jiménez Montelongo's artwork at the School of Arts & Culture, San José, CA, Exhibitions: "Mosaic" and "Afterlife" (Fall 2021)
WORKS/San José
Vargas Gallery, Mission College, 2016
We Are You Exhibition, Kean University, 2015
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NBC's Comunidad del Valle with Damian Trujillo
Triton Museum of Art, 2014
Diablo Valley College, 2017
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