Mari Hernandez (born 1979) is an American photographer known for her self-portraits that reflect Chicana cultural identity. She is a co-founder of Más Rudas, a Chicana artist collective. She has had works exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Artpace, and the Galveston Art Center.[1][2] She has lived in San Antonio, Texas, and Los Angeles.

Biography

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Mari Hernandez was born in 1979, in San Antonio, Texas.[citation needed] Hernandez began exploring her own art aesthetic after visiting murals at the San Antonio Cultural Arts Center. Her husband is J.J. Lopez.[1] She received her Bachelor’s degree in English Literature at the University of Texas at San Antonio.[3][1]

Más Rudas

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Hernandez is one of the co-founders of the group, Más Rudas (2009 - 2015).[1] Mas Rudas is a group of four Chicana feminist artists: Mari Hernandez, Ruth Leonela Buentello, Sarah Castillo, and Kristin Gamez. The artists aim to represent their life experiences as Chicana women through art, videos, photography and installation.[4]

Awards

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She received a Joan Mitchell Foundation Emerging Artist Grant in 2017, as well as a National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures Fund for the Arts grant.[5][6][1] In 2020, her piece Silia was one of the 42 works selected from a nationwide open call for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition and was on display at the National Portrait Gallery.[1]

Photography

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  • What Remains is a photo series created in 2018 that depicts the connection between one's physiognomy and identity.[7]
  • As Julia Pastrana, is a photo series inspired by the life of Julia Pastrana. This photo series was created in 2013.
  • El Lenguaje, a triptych created in 2021, is about language's impact on cultural identity.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frank, Nicholas (2022-06-27). "Artist Mari Hernandez views complicated histories through a personal lens". San Antonio Report. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  2. "State of the Art 2020". The Momentary. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  3. Sweeney, Gary (1 August 2018). "Artist on Artist". Current. San Antonio. pp. 23, 25. ProQuest 2099888639.
  4. "Más Rudas". Artpace. San Antonio. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  5. "Mari Hernandez | Figments of Truth". Galveston Arts Center. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  6. Garcia, Camille (2017-03-08). "NALAC Awards Grants to Five Local Latinx Artists". San Antonio Report. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  7. Rodriguez, Raul (September 9, 2018). "Mari Hernandez: What Remains". Deep Red Press. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
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