Carmen Linares-Kalo ( born in 1970) is a Chicana mural artist and fourth-generation fourth-generation spiritualist and practitioner of the Uto Nahua Mexica/Aztec traditions. She is based in San Diego and most known for her work on a mural located in Chicano Park in honor of the Kumeyaay people.
Biography
Carmen Linares-Kalo grew up in Mexico with her grandmother, this inspired a majority of Kalos' work as well as her interest in spiritualism and the personal connection she has with her work.
She is currently an artist at the University of California, San Diego and a part of the Chicano Park Steering Committee.
Selected Artwork
Kumeyaay Mural
One of Kalo’s most notable murals is located in Chicano Park. The mural was inspired by the Kumeyaay people and shows their entire creation story. Over the span of 26 years of planning and two weeks of creation Kalo was able to see her vision come to life with the help of other artists and volunteers from the community in August of 2020. Her indigenous background and exposure to the Kumeyaay creation story pushed Kalo to create this mural. She wanted to utilize a set of blank pillars located on the land that the Kumeyaay people inhabited for about 12,000 years. For Kalo this mural was about preserving the history of the Kumeyaay people and honoring them in some way by exhibiting their culture on sacred land. She wanted to go about this mural in the most respectful way possible so she received a blessing from the Kumeyaay people to create a piece that would keep their people remembered. The mural consists of a wide variety of elements including animals like a crow, a snake, a coyote, and a red tailed hawk which represent humans. The focal point of the mural is a blue heart which is used to represent the creator and all the animals are gathered around the heart in mourning. Kalo states “What you see on the mural, it’s a cremation, It’s got a lot of different little meanings. That always came back to me — out of death it united these humans, and even with our differences, we can work together and make life better.”
Xochiquetzal
- Featured in the 2019 SPIRIT art showcase in University of California, San Diego Xochiquetzal is a painting in commemoration of the mass kidnapping that took place in Iguala, Mexico. 43 male student teachers were reported missing on their way to appear in a demonstration in Mexico City. To this day it is still a mystery of what happened to them, however It is said that the victims were targeted due to their persistent participation in protest. This piece was named after the Aztec goddess of love and the main idea behind this piece was to keep the 43 victims guarded by the goddess so she painted the number 43 in the goddess’s carriage, she considers it a safe space. In addition to this painting Kalo participated in a project to give back to the families of the students. This project consisted of 43 artist, each representing a student that was taken, Kalo was able to donate her paintings to the specific students family she sponsored and also contribute to the rebuilding of the school.
Additional Work
- Additionally Kalo took part in creating numerous other murals that are featured in Chicano Park. Some of those include the Izcalli Mural (1997), Save Barrio Logan (1996), No Retrofitting (1995), Tribute Mural for Laura Rodriguez & Florencio Yescas (1996), ¿Por qué Nosotros? (1996), and Omenaje (2000) a mural dedicated to people who died during Operation Gatekeeper.
References
- ^ Terich, Jeff. “Fulfilling a promise: Carmen Linares Kalo’s mural honors the legacy of the Kumeyaay people.” The San Diego Union Tribune. 4 October 2020. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/visual-arts/story/2020-10-04/fulfilling-a-promise-carmen-linares-kalos-mural-honors-the-legacy-of-the-kumeyaay-people
- ^ Valente, Luis. “ Artist’s Spirit Manifested in Cross Cultural Center Art Reception.” University of California, San Diego The Guardian. 24 November 2019.https://ucsdguardian.org/2019/11/24/artists-spirit-manifested-cross-cultural-center-art-reception/
- ^ Sours Larson, Nicole. “Barrio Logan Artists Respond to Pandemic's Challenges with Resilience.” IVN Network. 21 September 2020. https://ivn.us/posts/barrio-logan-artists-respond-to-pandemics-challenges-with-resilience
- ^ [citation to reliable source, print or e, goes here]
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