Past Exhibition: November 6, 2020 — November 28, 2020
Ashley Perez: Prey For Us
Ashley Perez (b. 1985) is a San Antonio, Texas-based multidisciplinary artist and a recipient of the 2020 San Antonio Artist Grant, presented in partnership with the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture (NALAC) and the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts and Culture. Perez works in a variety of mediums that center around painting and drawing. Her work explores memory, identity, and mental health by personifying elements of the natural world and wordplay.
In her latest exhibition, Prey For Us, Perez focuses on the theme of forgiveness and reflects on distrust and its impact on interpersonal relationships. This series utilizes heavily symbolic imagery, including decoy ducks, snakes, and purple heart plants, which she associates with the concept of trust. The representational elements of hunting and decoy accessories reference traditional hunting still-life’s and religious paintings. It also expands on coping mechanisms and healing through conversations with women of all ages to spark a dialogue on what it takes to forgive.
I’m curious about the varied structures or rules that women use when considering how to move forward after a betrayal. Are they moving? What are their motivations surrounding trust? I conducted interviews with female intergenerational populations on how forgiveness impacts them and how it’s learned. I’ve compared the answers to my own, but I seek to understand more about transgression’s complicated nature.
Perez is an alumnus of the national-award-winning creative youth development program SAY Sí. She received her B.F.A. from the University of Texas at San Antonio in painting in 2010. Currently, she runs SAY Sí’s visual arts middle school and high school programs, mentoring the next generation of creative leaders. Her work has been featured at Centro de Artes, Blue Star Contemporary, and the McNay Art Museum.
Ashley Perez: Prey For Us is made possible by the NALAC’s San Antonio Artist Grant.
The National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures (NALAC) is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization exclusively dedicated to the promotion, advancement, development, and cultivation of the Latino arts field. In this capacity, NALAC stimulates, facilitates inter-generational dialogues among disciplines, languages, and traditional and contemporary expressions.
Learn more about Ashley Perez at ashleyperezart.weebly.com