I really enjoyed all of the presentations this week and I think everyone did a great job, but the one that stood out to me the most was Cristina’s presentation on the artist Josie Del Castillo. When we were first choosing our artist, I came across Del Castillo’s work and I was in awe of what I had seen so I was very happy to be able to learn more about her.
My favorite piece out of Del Castillo’s body of work is Healing, Learning, and Growing which is about Del Castillo’s journey in navigating trauma and improving herself. Here, she is shown standing in the middle of a savila plant and I enjoyed hearing about why she chose to use the savila. According to the presentation, Del Castillo chose to use a savila plant because she felt that the nopal can sometimes be a little overused. The artist also used the savila to drive home her journey of healing because it is a medicinal plant that can be used to treat wounds or even for general hair or skin care. The figure she included is shown hugging herself as a means to communicate that she is giving herself the comfort and love that she deserves. Overall, I think this is a really beautiful piece
The other piece that stood out to me during the presentation was Don’t Touch Me, I’m Sensitive. This is another self portrait but it incorporates the imagery of nopales. Del Castillo paints the portrait of herself green and includes espinas around her. Here, Del Castillo is showcasing a time in her life in which she was hurting emotionally and was hurtful to those around here. I think this is a really beautiful way to acknowledge how destructive poor mental health can be not only to yourself, but to your relationships as well.
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