“The Call” Oil pastels, acrylic, soil and mirror on wood, Laila Espinoza, 2012
“Thank You Letter to Maria Lugones”, Laila Espinoza, Feb. 2024
“Ancestor Points to the Spirit World Underground”, Acrylic and mirror on canvas, Laila Espinoza, 2019-20
“The Eye on my Thigh: the writing on the body”, Laila Espinoza, Nov. 2023
“Feather Foot”, Laila Espinoza,2022.
“The Space/Place Between My Legs” Ode to Marlene Nourbese Phillip and Katherine McKittrick Fire Ritual Performance, Aug. 2023
“MudWoman” Ritual Performance, Blue Oak Ecological Reserve, April 2023.
“MudWoman Holding Her Word Broom” in “MudWoman” Performance, April 2023
“Word Broom” Poetry on canvas strips tied with red thread, corn husk and corn silk. Made by Laila Espinoza, Dec. 2022.
El tiempo no es linear
Time is not linear
El fantasma siempre llama a la memoria y juntas abren portales sin obedecer las leyes escritas por los hombres
The ghost always calls out to memory and together they open portals without obeying the laws written by men
Caminando mano en mano, lanzan sus ojos con hilos hacia el otro lado Se visten de espejos que encontraron en la cueva subterranea donde se conocieron
Walking hand in hand, they throw out their eyes with threads towards the other side
They dress in mirrors they found in the underground cave where they met
Reflejando Luz a cada esquina donde el movimiento se detiene
Reflecting Light in each corner where movement stops
Y asi es como el fantasma y la memoria hacen que todo lo que es pequeño y tierno viva y crezca, suavizando angulos limitantes y redondeando el tiempo [OTRA VEZ].
And this is how ghost and memory make everything that is small and tender live and grow, softening the limiting angles and making time round [AGAIN].
“Found You on FB” Screenshot of my mother, mixed media digital altar in progress, Laila Espinoza
“La Casa Verde” Acrylic on canvas, Laila Espinoza, 2020
“Be An Active Witness” BFA Thesis/Art Exhibition-self published book, 2017.
Untitled, photo collage of “Huipil Fronterizo” Performance, 2022.
Mother and Child, acrylic on canvas, 2008-09
“Mother and Child” Acrylic on canvas/digital text, Laila Espinoza, 2020
“#JUNTAS SEAMOS VISIBLES” Diarias Global, a project by Lorena Wolffer
https://www.diariasglobal.com/diarias/139
My gramma gave me a pair of scissors and pointed to the black plastic garbage bags full of the “throw-aways” that the rich lady whose house she cleaned would give her. I angrily refused. Then, my auntie took her own life and I couldn’t stop cutting. The plastic bags empty-the give-away curtains, the give-away table covers, the give-away oversized dresses and blouses all cut up into little pieces of tactile color scattered all over the floor in the living room. Later I found the thread and the needle, realized I could put it all [back] together, but differently…the way I want(ed) it. My story.
“El Jardin del Corazon” mixed media tapestry (fabric, beads, thread and paint) Laila Espinoza, 2002
“Through the Wound” a close up, 2016
“Huipil Fronterizo” front view, Laila Espinoza
Crosscurrents KALW Public Media 91.7 FM, Bay Area
Sights and Sounds of East Oakland: An Artist Takes Back the Streets
“Guidance” Mixed media painting (acrylic, seeds, and cotton) on canvas, Laila Espinoza, 2009-2010
“Ofrendas” Performance at the Albany Bulb, CA. in collaboration with JT and Vincente Perez, 2018
Laila Guadalupe Espinoza is a visual and performance artist and scholar. Her work spans across the art practices of garment design, painting, photography, installation of altars and performance of contemporary ceremony and ritual as well as writing. She grew up in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México and the U.S/Border during the beginning phases of the maquiladora industry expansion and the feminicidio. Through her work, Laila seeks to talk about/write about/make art about, study and teach about the every day life experience of the U.S/Mexico Border and the intimately cultural, historical and political relationship between Indigenous America and Black people, Mestizaje, gendered violence, labor, coloniality, the body and the land.
ArteSana 