Places I have been

I build beliefs in places where I do not belong. 
I belong in what I believe. 
I am what I build. 
I belong here, where I believe and inhabit. 

Places I have been is a dreamlike journey that interweaves the nostalgia of places already inhabited with the creation of new landscapes in unknown territories. This exhibition is an extended self-portrait of the construction of identity. The images are the result of a journey of years based on the places that saw me grow up, the landscapes that gave me home for a couple of years and the spaces I have built. 

The exhibition is composed of traditional visual art techniques (oil painting), artisanal techniques (embroidery and cardboard objects) and the use of digital tools for the creation of images (digital design and AI). In this way, the work, the process and the result are intended to give an account of my visual construction over the years. It also aims to account for the thin boundaries of art and how these labels, of what is understood as art, continue to move and confront themselves over the years. 

About the artist

JESU (María Jesús) Vásquez-Lesser is a Chilean artist based in Aotearoa. She studied visual art in Chile. She then travelled to study for a Master's in Contemporary Art in the Basque Country. Continuing with her travel spirit and a desire to pursue her studies, she arrived in New Zealand to continue her PhD studies in Latin American religious art. She is currently a painting teacher, a creator in the Latin American art group Sur-Collective, a personalisation expert for Louis Vuitton, and an artist in residence at Corban Estate Arts Centre.  

Jesu is a transdisciplinary artist; she intertwines various painting techniques, textile art and sculpture. Her work plays on the boundaries of art, always questioning the labels of visual art and craft. Jesu’s work is strongly inspired by manual labour and promotes the presence of techniques considered minor art or craft, such as embroidery, weaving and toy-making. Her work revolves around the female figure, the construction of migrant identity and Latin American cultural heritage and iconography.  

@quiltra.artspace

Image courtesy of the artist