La Mujer, La Warmi, y La Lady
Mindy Solomon is pleased to present the second solo exhibition of Natalia Arbelaez, La Mujer, La Warmi, y La Lady. In this presentation, Arbelaez continues to explore themes of colonization and the historic exploitation of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Specifically, narratives about women.
Arbelaez writes: “The stories of “La Mujer, La Warmi, y La Lady” are a compilation of folkloric histories that I have researched from my ancestry and culture. These are stories from the good, the bad, and the ugly. Stories that have been white-washed and syncretized that are finally getting the recognition that they deserve. The tale of PataSola, a Monstrous female figure who attempts to take back the forest by killing men who are destroying the land. Additionally, there are historic religious figures such as the figure of the Virgin Mary/ Virgin of Guadalupe which could be argued were appropriated from the Aztec Deity Tonantzin considered the Mother of Gods. There is also the story of Malinche, an indigenous slave, interpreter, advisor, and intermediary to Hernań Cortez who enabled him to defeat the Aztecs. Her conflicted place in history as a traitor does not give credit to her adaptability and Intelligence.
For the first time in my artistic practice, I have started to tell the story of my Spanish ancestry from the point of the Spaniards, this includes the Queens responsible for the Americas Conquest, specifically Isabella I de Castile and Juana I de Castile. Artistically I am incorporating influences of the Renaissance. I still use the majolica to reference Spanish descent but leave the bare clay for all the material objects. This is meant as a reminder of where all the Spaniard’s material wealth came from-the rape and pillage of South and Central America. “
Utilizing her iconic mix of “Pre-Columbian” and “Saturday Morning Cartoon” style, she brings these important characters to life. Arbelaez finds a way to consistently educate the viewer as well as introduce levity to this serious topic. We are proud to bring this work to a broader audience.
About Natalia Arbelaez
Natalia Arbelaez is a Colombian American artist, born and raised in Miami, Florida to immigrant parents. She received her B.F.A. from Florida International University and her M.F.A. from The Ohio State University, with an Enrichment Fellowship. In 2016-2017 she was a Rittenberg Fellow at Clay Art Center; Port Chester, New York and was awarded the Inaugural Artaxis Fellowship that funded a residency to Watershed in Newcastle, ME. Her work has been exhibited internationally, in museums, galleries, and included in various collections, such as the Everson Museum, MAD Museum, Fuller Museum and The ICA Miami.
She has been recognized by NCECA as a 2018 Emerging Artist and was a 2018-19 resident artist at the Ceramics Program at, Harvard University where she researched pre-Columbian art and histories. Natalia was an artist in residence at the Museum of Art and Design in New York City where she researched the work of historical and influential women ceramicists of color and continued this research as a 2021 and 2023 Visiting Artist at AMOCA in Pomona, CA. She lives and works in The Mid-Hudson Valley region in NY.
