Luis Valderas

          My images explore possibilities of decolonization by isolating and rearranging iconic components of realities. By combining ideas in cosmology, Meso-American mythology and my family’s stories into my work I reframe my experiences of growing up on the frontera revealing spaces of shared experiences. Retelling my family’s stories while at the same time representing them as collective elements of cultural icons intermingled with impressions of   events allows me to connect the collective experience of past and present generations, to collapse borders, to transform and explore social and cultural ambiguities that exist in that space in between.

          It is my belief that identity past—present—future is in constant evolution. The intermingling of cultures in a more tolerant society is the future. Adaptation and transformation require a foot in the past and present, a familiarity with transitions between borders, and a flexibility that is conducive to a re-imagination of realities.