Women’s History Month Spotlight: Gabriella Sanchez
Oh, hello. Looking to celebrate an incredible WOC artist for Women’s History Month? Let us suggest one of our Tumblr @creatrs, Gabriella Sanchez (@thatnoisegallery). This LA-based Mexican-American artist is one you’re going to want to pay attention to. In the interest of celebrating women and how they impact their world, we’ve touched base with her to discuss how feminism intersects with her work. Read on, reader.
Let’s start by telling us a little bit about yourself. How did you become the artist that you are today?
That’s a big question in which the true answer is that it’s a result of all my experiences and interactions that are too many to list here. The more direct but partial answer is that I went to college without knowing what I wanted to do and started taking art electives until those became the only classes I was taking. I was really attracted to the freedom of being an artist—the idea that you could spend your time seeking out whatever ideas interested you and then turn into something that people could engage with and it could be under this expansive umbrella of art. That was and still is thrilling to me.
As a Mexican-American woman, your experiences and intersections in race, gender, and socioeconomic status all play a part in your work. Why do you think it’s important for art spaces to exhibit more work by women of color?
I would say that yes, the things you mentioned above play a role in my work, but that’s because everyone’s personal experiences play some role in their work even if they aren’t acknowledged. It’s just framed in a different light when a person from any marginalized group creates art. Specifically, in painting, the work is an assertion of what an artist thinks is beautiful or interesting or worth looking at and that inherently is a message and a showcase of their viewpoint. An artist who paints a flower versus an artist who paints a bus bench with graffiti are both painting what they want you to see. In that sense, the work could be seen as the same. They just get framed in a different light. That’s why it’s important for artists of marginalized groups to be included in these art spaces, so that our context of viewing work gets larger so we can really see the work without knee-jerk biases blocking our ability to fully engage with a work.
Let’s talk about your featured artwork. Women of color and trans women are people most affected by violence. Talk us through the process of this piece and why it’s important?
The idea behind this piece is that this is a collective issue. Not an issue that is just on the shoulders or survivors or only women, but everyone. Only with that mentality will we be able to make moves towards a future where women are safe and we can all move forward [with] equality and equity for everyone.
If you want more of Gabriella’s art, follow her at @thatnoisegallery. If you want more interviews with women making an impact in their fields, stay tuned to @action! We’re celebrating Women’s History Month all month long.
