As an interdisciplinary artist, I work in sculpture, painting and write creative non fiction. In my sculptural practice I engage with experimentation of materials and writing – found objects, sugar, wax, and fabric and incorporating text as backdrops for paintings.
After reading existentialist texts, the ambivalence I experienced towards my surrounding environment filtered through the philosophies of absurdism, informing my creative practice and allowing me to find freedom from the place I inhabit by surrendering to chaos and meaninglessness.
Furthermore, I find comfort in the natural surrounding landscape of the West and the communal spaces that dwell on the outskirts of the main notions about Las Vegas. My current work is taking shape towards the stories of these people that live on the fringes of the ideas about Las Vegas and toward the merciless but welcoming Mojave desert; following the philosophy of Albert Camus, “a lucid invitation to live and to create, in the very midst of the desert.”
After obtaining my Bachelor of Arts in Multidisciplinary Studies from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, I have contributed to the art blog Couch in the Desert based in Las Vegas, NV where I highlight local artist-run spaces and artists. Currently, I am pursuing an MFA from School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Mariela Rivera 