Mother and Son: Artwork by Josue Rojas and his mom, Maria Esther Garcia
September 2008
From the Artist, Josue Rojas: "Mother and Son" is a collection of recent works made by myself, and my Mother. Though seemingly unrelated; my work, gritty, biographical, urban (Sur)realism in oils and photography and my mom’s work; beautiful tropical birds in acrylic and "3D" paper collages, our works share a common thread which is at the source: a need for beauty and craft as a way of life. As an occupation. As an inheritance.
Born in San Salvador, my mother immigrated from her native country to escape the conflict of the civil war and, more importantly to her, to keep her four sons from having to participate in it. Not knowing a word of English, and with four mouths to feed, my mother embarked on a journey that would change the course of my family's life forever. Faith in God and bravery (which, I still can't fathom) were her sole weapons in this hostile, environment–– as she cleaned homes and nannied kids to feed her sons. The better part of three decades have passed, and through a career as an artist and journalist, I see her imprint in all I do.
It's been a challenging road, and it hasn't gotten any easier, but there are a few things I have that I know I got from her; a love for the creator, people, colors and the ability to see things before they happen. Some would call it imagination, some would call it visual-projection... I call it faith. I work by it, and live by it. I create with it.
Josue Rojas, September 2008
The work of Josué Rojas combines aesthetics with ethics and journalism with visual arts. This particular exhibtion combines Josue's artwork with that of his mother to illuminate his original influences. The impetus behind Rojas' artistic, social, and journalistic work is the struggle of young Salvadorans dramatically affected by the civil war in El Salvador. Several of his paintings illustrate the complex identity that is born when immigrants are deported to countries of origin and are forced to create new and unconventional lives in a place that is now unfamiliar. Rojas describes the process in an article published by New America Media in; "Disappeared from North America and rejected by the mainstream in El Salvador, DPs [Salvadoran Deportees] emerge with a hybrid culture of their own."
September 2008
From the Artist, Josue Rojas: "Mother and Son" is a collection of recent works made by myself, and my Mother. Though seemingly unrelated; my work, gritty, biographical, urban (Sur)realism in oils and photography and my mom’s work; beautiful tropical birds in acrylic and "3D" paper collages, our works share a common thread which is at the source: a need for beauty and craft as a way of life. As an occupation. As an inheritance.
Born in San Salvador, my mother immigrated from her native country to escape the conflict of the civil war and, more importantly to her, to keep her four sons from having to participate in it. Not knowing a word of English, and with four mouths to feed, my mother embarked on a journey that would change the course of my family's life forever. Faith in God and bravery (which, I still can't fathom) were her sole weapons in this hostile, environment–– as she cleaned homes and nannied kids to feed her sons. The better part of three decades have passed, and through a career as an artist and journalist, I see her imprint in all I do.
It's been a challenging road, and it hasn't gotten any easier, but there are a few things I have that I know I got from her; a love for the creator, people, colors and the ability to see things before they happen. Some would call it imagination, some would call it visual-projection... I call it faith. I work by it, and live by it. I create with it.
Josue Rojas, September 2008
The work of Josué Rojas combines aesthetics with ethics and journalism with visual arts. This particular exhibtion combines Josue's artwork with that of his mother to illuminate his original influences. The impetus behind Rojas' artistic, social, and journalistic work is the struggle of young Salvadorans dramatically affected by the civil war in El Salvador. Several of his paintings illustrate the complex identity that is born when immigrants are deported to countries of origin and are forced to create new and unconventional lives in a place that is now unfamiliar. Rojas describes the process in an article published by New America Media in; "Disappeared from North America and rejected by the mainstream in El Salvador, DPs [Salvadoran Deportees] emerge with a hybrid culture of their own."
Josue Rojas and Maria Esther Garcia, 2008