Growing up in Chicago to immigrant parents, I experienced firsthand the instability of living in the United States and the violence one can face. I dedicate my practice to advocating for the communities I am a part of, and my paintings act as a visual exploration of my interest in Colonial, Mexican, and Catholic histories, primarily alongside LGTBQIA+ narratives. My existence as a non-binary first generation Mexican American creates a state of conflict within my identity, and this tension is the most prevalent influence in my practice. As a queer person who is also a New American, my lived experience has been one of constantly combating instability, discrimination, and erasure.
The duality of having the rights of a citizen but the vulnerability of undocumented parents influences not only my art, but the way I maneuver in the U.S. I am especially interested in using the iconography of these identities to create new visuals focused on queer and immigrant representation. Using glitter, a material often stigmatized, I create depictions of queer and immigrant bodies. With my own likeness as template, I create faceless figures serving as a stand-in for any queer Latinx youth. The figures I paint are proudly defiant and glamorous. Inspired by fashion and drag culture, I use a myriad of embellishments, fabrics, textures combined with traditional Mexican craft techniques. Through this process, the bodies I paint become immortalized to combat the erasure of these communities and transform that pain into healing and restorative energy.
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Moises Salazar is a non-binary artist based in Chicago, Illinois. Salazar holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Salazar’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at WOAW Gallery, Salon ACME 8, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, NADA, National Museum of Mexican Art, and the Chicago Cultural Center. Represented by Mindy Solomon Gallery Salazar had their inaugural solo exhibition in August 2021.
Salazar has been focused on conceptual and installation-based work. Salazar’s presentation Let’s get Physical facilitated by Filo Sofi Arts was included in HEARSAY:HERESY Spring Break Art Show to much critical acclaim. In Gracias a la Vida Salazar created a chapel to queer ancestry at Red Arrow Gallery. Most recently Salazar’s project Santuario, a large-scale altar, was presented at Skin in the Game, Chicago edition, curated by Zoe Lukov. A Finalist of The QUEERART PRIZE, Salazar’s work has been featured in publications such as The Hispanic Executive, artnet, HYPERALLERGIC, and THE LATINX PROJECT. Salazar has participated in the The Hyde Park Art Center Residency and is a recipient of LuminArts Foundation Arts Fellowship, 3Arts Make a Wave Grant and is a Fire Island Artist Residency recipient.