BY FEATURED ARTIST: ROSEMARY MEZA-DESPLAS

YO También

ROSEMARY MEZA-DESPLAS | MAY 2022 | ISSUE 16

I created Yo También in 2018 as a response to the #MeToo movement. It is hand-sewn human gray hair (hair of the artist) on black twill fabric, 25 x 21 inches. While #metoo was hyped by Hollywood women, it began with Black activist, Tarana Burke. It is a movement which directly impacted Latinas due to socio-economic limitations and cultural stigma. As a Latina, I am acutely aware of the pervasiveness of sexual violence within my culture. The utilization of my gray hair is a nod to women and aging; thus, referencing societal expectations on beauty.

Rosemary Meza-DesPlas was born and raised in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Garland. Her mother, from Allende (Coahuila), Mexico, came to the United States as a migrant farm worker; her father grew up in Tampico, Mexico. The tenacity of her eight aunts in the face of personal tragedies and adversities was an early inspiration; their narratives contributed to her embrace of feminist ideology. She is a multidisciplinary artist who works in drawing, painting, installation, fiber art, performance, and video. Meza-DesPlas explores sociocultural issues through an intersectional feminist lens. Her artwork, centered upon the human figure, reflects the female experience within a patriarchal society and serves to amplify the voices of women. Meza-DesPlas lives in Farmington, New Mexico.

Meza-DesPlas received a BFA from the University of North Texas and an MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. She is a recipient of the Latinx Artist Fellowship (2022) which recognizes 15 of the most compelling Latinx visual artists working in the United States today. She is a recipient of a Fulcrum Fund grant (2022) for a new performance artwork titled Miss Nalgas USA 2022. Framed around a beauty competition for self-identifying Latinas over fifty, this performance artwork examines the topics of ageism, self-identity, and colorism. Her work has been exhibited at Museum of Sonoma County, 516 ARTS, New Mexico Museum of Art, and Art Museum of Southeast Texas. Her artwork has been featured in Interview Magazine, HuffPost Arts & Culture, Wall Street International Magazine, and ARTiculAction Contemporary Art Review, among other publications. Ms. Meza-DesPlas parallels the themes in her visual artwork with writings and performances. She has presented at the College Art Association conference (2022), Feminist Art Conference at Ontario College of Art & Design (2017), and Gender, Sexuality, & Women’s Studies Conference at The University of Pittsburgh (2016). She has had performances at Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM; Amos Eno Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; form & concept gallery, Santa Fe, NM; ARC Gallery, Chicago, IL.