ARTIST STATEMENT
My work uses illustrative narratives to depict the relationship between Catholicism and its perpetration of conventional gender roles in Latinx communities. These narratives are from my own observations and experiences growing up in the Catholic church in my border town of Brownsville, TX. The piece, “Suffocation in Mexican Pink,” encompasses the lack of autonomy and peer pressure women continue to experience in these communities. Pressure to marry, to marry young, to not question, and, ultimately, to conform. A pressure that can feel heavy and suffocating. The digital piece, “They Want to See Us Bleed,” is a direct message about religious influence on laws governing the female body. Both pieces utilize Mexican pink to tell their stories. This color is often representative of Mexican culture and used in celebratory ways. Here, it is used to provoke critique on negative aspects within the culture; that people, even women, within the community itself continue to suppress each other. “Buried Under Conformity and Obligation” takes a look at ceremony within the Catholic church; specifically Communion. More importance is placed upon it to the point of blatant disregard for the actual wants of the child, who is buried under the objects of its pageantry. Many young girls are often forced to accept this role and go through the motions of the church, not understanding the weight of the role they were told to accept. This creates a cycle I see too often; adult women accepting what they don’t want, conditioned to not question.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Clarissa Martinez is a Mexican-American freelance illustrator and multidisciplinary artist from Brownsville, TX, where she also currently resides. She holds a BA in Art from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), and an MFA in Illustration Practice from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her primary mediums include oils, watercolors, inks, digital painting, gif animation, and book arts. Her personal work often revolves around gender roles, critiques on Catholicism, personal trauma and self-healing using motifs from traditional Mexican medicine (curanderismo). Clarissa is in the middle of creating a body of work for a solo show in August, to be held at Cactus Valley Art in Harlingen, TX. Clarissa has had work shown in Baltimore, New York City, and in various parts of California and Texas. As a freelance illustrator, her clients include AARP, Liberal Education Magazine, Walmart and Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages. She has experience in editorial illustration, mural illustration, and illustration for social media. She was part of the Spring 2024 session of the Poster Posse Protégé Program, a mentorship program for aspiring film poster artists and designers. Clarissa is a part-time lecturer at UTRGV and the local community college, Texas Southmost College, where she brings her education and experiences as a working artist to the classroom.
© Clarissa Martinez