My work focuses on the Latin cultural stigma towards Mental Health, the struggles individuals face in society, and treatment. I use my culture's beliefs of mental health to bring awareness to the stigma issues within the culture and the lack of equalities. Disparities, negative attitudes, and language barriers have impacted individuals seeking treatment. Within Healthcare Insurance people are experiencing racial and ethnic disparities. My artwork is also about the history of treatments within the United States. Individuals seeking treatment for a mental illness shouldn’t be faced with stigma, disparities and racism. The negative attitudes in Latinx culture have also kept Latinos in secrecy. Due to the cultural stigma, it creates shame and embarrassment towards those living with a mental illness. Unfortunately, there is not enough social support for Latinos with a mental illness.
Through my work, I want to bring awareness to mental health and create change in the inequalities we are experiencing. Negative attitudes toward those living with a mental illness should be altered. Along with our cultural stigma, we also face discrimination. We should have the help that we need in order to better our mental health. Overall stigma and inequalities in our community are very hurtful to our loved ones who are in a healing journey from a mental illness.
I use complementary medication bottle images, the simultaneous contrast of color and bilingual text. I paint hopeful and positive destigmatized text on an attached diptych compared to the stigmatized negative attitudes. I use traditional rendering to create the medicine bottles. I am also currently using soft colors and flower designs within hard problematic topics. I'm inspired by how colorful Mexico is, our food, our clothing, our cities and crafts. I use mediums such as gouache and acrylic paint on paper.
Ultimately, my artwork is societal, historical about racial justice, and of Latin culture of mental health within the USA. I have been influenced by artists Francisco Goya, Robert De La Rocha, and Yayoi Kusama.
