Presentation: Patssi Valdez

For the presentation, I have chosen to research Patssi Valdez, who is an American born Chicana artist. Patssi is known for her avant-gard expressionism and role in founding the art collective Asco. Growing up, Patssi resided in East Los Angeles, where she was surrounded by police brutality, racism, and under-funded education. Before becoming a painter, Patssi was involved with street performance art and cinematic Goth film stills, for she was not yet confident about her painting skills. When she was with Asco, most of her work was centered around political and social concerns and many of her performances occurred in areas where major conflict between individuals and the police took place. In her paintings, Valdez created pieces that are vibrant and colorful, emitting a sense of magical realism. The subject matter for her paintings usually focused on the female figure or domestic settings and draw from her private experiences. I was drawn to the work by Patssi Valdez because it is very vibrant and intricate. Also, I admire her ability to translate aspects of her own life and of larger society onto paper while still maintaining a neat image. However, although her pieces maintain a sense of organization, I admire that the message isn't always super clear and that the viewer is able to interpret the piece the way that he/she sees fit.