Week 3: Artist Wiki on Carmen Linares Kalo

The artist that I have selected for my Artist Biography Article Template is Carmen Linares Kalo. Kalo is a muralist, artist, and a fourth-generation spiritualist and practitioner of the Uto Nahua Mexica/ Aztec traditions.

Early in her childhood, her grandmother introduced her to spiritualism. As a fourth-generation spiritualist, she carries on the traditions she learned from her grandmother. “My Grandmother was a traditional ‘Curandera’ of the Nahua Indigenous people of Mexico. I was fortunate enough to be part of her healing artwork.” 

Kalo is a San Diego native, but she holds bi-nationality. Because of this, she was exposed to the social adversity, and political movements people struggle with early on. These experiences allowed her to form her artistic expression, which would later be reflected in her participation with grass-root organizations.  

Her latest work is a mural located in Chicano Park in San Diego, California. She honors the Kumeyaay people, indigenous peoples of San Diego. Throughout the years, she has heard the creation story of the Kumeyaay peoples. She wanted to create art that would honor the 12,000 years of the Kumeyaay. To her, this culture is very important, and she wanted to celebrate it through her art. Although not Kumeyaay herself, she wanted to create a mural that depicted this culture in the most respectful way. She proposed the mural to both the Kumeyaay Nation and the Chicano Park Steering Committee. In her own words, the mural is a piece to give “homage and presence here in the park.”

Kalo does not claim any credit for being published in books regarding her work because she does not consider her work as “me” but rather “us” and in that aspect, she intends to honor the struggle.

 

References

Terich, J. (2020, October 04). Fulfilling a promise: Carmen Linares Kalo's mural honors the legacy of the Kumeyaay people. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from 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, L. (2020, December 21). Artist's Spirit Manifested in Cross Cultural Center Art Reception. Retrieved January 16, 2021, from https://ucsdguardian.org/2019/11/24/artists-spirit-manifested-cross-cultural-center-art-reception/