Week 7: Sonia Romero

Sonia Romero a Chicana artist well known for her paper-cutting and printmaking aesthetics. She was born in 1980 and was raised in Echo Park. She obtained a formal education at the Rhode Island School of Design and later returned to Los Angeles, California. Romero creates work that reflects the cultural diversity found in the communities she grew up knowing. 

One of her artworks which I find particularly captivating is Year of the Straw (2018), which is part of her “Nest” Series. Romero created the piece in in response to the social media campaign calling for the ban of plastic straws. In the image we can see a small infant laying in a nest of discarded straws. The baby appears to be floating in the middle of the ocean, aboard an island made from single use plastic straws and lids. Romero has stated that the infant is a portrait of her son, Sky. The art piece allows the viewer to reflect on the consequences that humans have on the environment. The expansive consumer culture which exist has led to the development of trash islands, such as the Great Pacific garbage patch. With this image, Romero uses her art to speak about pressing environmental issues, which affect us all.