ABOUT
Sofía Luz Pérez is a Mexican American artist born in Austin, Texas in 1989, and raised in central New York. Her work often depicts ancient feminine archetypes while referencing self-portraiture, bringing together the ancient wisdom of her pre-Colombian cultural heritage with her present-day self.
Pérez’s work has been published in the Women Artists’ Datebook by the Syracuse Cultural Workers and in the Great Lake Review in Oswego, NY. She has shown her work in numerous juried shows including at the Community Folk Art Center in Syracuse, NY, Soho20 Gallery in New York, NY, ArtRage Gallery in Syracuse, NY, the Point of Contact Gallery in Syracuse, NY, Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, in Cazenovia, NY, the Art Association of Oswego, NY, and the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, NY. In the Spring of 2021, she received a Student Scholarly and Creative Activity grant at SUNY Oswego to create a series of paintings which she displayed at the Art Association of Oswego in the Summer of 2021. Her work was accepted into the Best of SUNY show 2022, and won Best in Show. She graduated with a BFA in Studio Art with a painting concentration in December 2021.
artist statement
My practice stems from an inner narrative that I’m working through. Much of my work has been inspired by the experience I’ve had with healing illness, and by the healing of generational family trauma. I address both the physical and nonphysical (spiritual) aspects of those processes. I began drawing self-portraits to document my process and progression in the aftermath of the diagnosis. Since then, I usually depict a fusion of self-portraiture and images of empowerment with symbolism from my ancestral heritage. I often reference archetypes through the powerful goddess imagery from Aztec mythology. I began my exploration into my ancient indigenous heritage many years ago, and it has been a key component in my creative practice.
My work is autobiographical however it has universal qualities. I often portray myself in the face of adversity but with a strong, stoic resolve. I’m interested in the duality of the light and shadow aspects of our experience and how they inform one another; both are equally important and worthy of being honored. In my practice, I use symbolism and color to address this dual nature, which is often characteristic of many of the ancient goddess archetypes.