I fear of my cultural identity slipping away as I grow older in a land without the customs, people, and traditions that revive that aspect of myself. I fear growing old and losing that part of who I am. My goal in this tribute project was to create art in a way to preserve my Colombian identity.
The style of the piece is drawn from indigenous Colombian weaving patterns and colorful textiles. The geometric black design on the placemat is a familiar pattern I was exposed to at an early age, as well as it is very popular in Colombia. Judy Chicago created her place settings with a gold ceramic chalice at the right corner of each mat. I chose to play around with Colombia’s strong influence on coffee with the inclusion of a smaller mug instead. The miniature size of the cup is intentional to represent “tinto”, a long black coffee traditional in Colombian households. The coffee mug also teases how essential coffee is to Colombia’s culture, livelihood, and national identity.
After research on Colombian motifs, I gathered that colorful hibiscus are very representative of my culture. The motif on the plate reminds me of a traditional Colombian dress as the layers of the colorful skirt overlay each other with the blue border, followed by the delicate flower design on the edge of the plate. The additions of the mirror and keychain are keepsakes from my childhood, gifted from family members.
