Separate Ways (World's Apart)

 

This work was featured in the exhibition, Nepantla, curated by Tony Ortega. It was on display at the Museum of Art in Fort Collins, Colorado between October 4, 2024 - January 5, 2025. The show's focused on each artist's interpretation of nepantla. For me, nepantla is a liminal space that is not always easily seen or understood. I come from the borderland, being born in El Paso, Texas and raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. I grew up crossing the border every day to get to school or run simple errands. I was also the youngest out of three children, both of my brothers being 10 and 11 years older than me. Growing up I often felt like I was too Mexican to be around my American friends, but when I went home I was suddenly too American for my Mexican family. Being the youngest only added to this feeling of "in-betweenness" when I was constantly around people who were much older than me. I was often called an "old soul" or told I was "mature for my age" which did not always come across as a compliment even when all the adults told me to take it as one. All this culminates in what nepantla is for me. It is the physical and literal space that separates me and my brothers. It is the feeling that I don't belong on either side of the border. It is the feeling that I don't belong in my own skin. It is the constant search I am on to find where I do belong and to close the imaginary gap I feel keeps me worlds apart from my own family and friends.