{"id":778212,"date":"2026-09-21T21:42:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T21:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/778212\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T21:42:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T21:42:14","slug":"lush-mixed-media-collages-by-clotilde-jimenez-piece-together-an-artists-lineage-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/778212\/","title":{"rendered":"Lush Mixed-Media Collages by Clotilde Jim\u00e9nez Piece Together an Artist’s Lineage \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Through vivid collages layering fragments of paper and fiber, Clotilde Jim\u00e9nez<\/a> echoes his own m\u00e9lange of experiences and histories. The Mexico City-based artist was born in Honolulu to a Puerto Rican mother and African-American father, and he grew up in Philadelphia, before attending university in Cleveland and London. Both his heritage and ties to different cities around the globe nest together in his work, which draws references from the cultural and political contexts of each locale.<\/p>\n

Using magazine clippings, Mexican craft paper, fabrics, and other pliable materials, Jim\u00e9nez fashions dense portraits of his family alongside archetypal depictions of Blackness and masculinity. Fragments of burlap and thin woven strips add texture to \u201cChina de Mayagu\u0308ez,\u201d a vibrant autobiographical piece portraying a young Jim\u00e9nez and his family member Juan. Rendered as a j\u00edbaro<\/a>, Juan evokes the subsistence farming traditions of Puerto Rico. Together, the pair pick oranges, while monarchs flutter among the fruits.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cFlower Portal 2\u201d (2026). Photo by Ivo Loyola<\/p>\n

The woven hat also appears in \u201cThe Nightcall,\u201d worn by a woman enveloped in the blue light of darkness. Black birds with shiny plumage and blooming cacti flank the figure as a bouquet hangs from her hand. Fresh blooms also appear in the Flower Portal series, circular works that draw on Dutch still life<\/a> paintings. Fish, faces, and beams of light augment lush bouquets, referencing both the fleeting nature of life and humble joys.<\/p>\n

For this body of work, Jim\u00e9nez dives into silences and what\u2019s left unsaid in a family, particularly the secrets children aren\u2019t privy to. In a recent conversation<\/a>, he describes these pieces as visualizing a \u201crevelation,\u201d one that gave insight into a history of abuse. He explains: <\/p>\n

My grandmother, when I was an adult, randomly was like I need to tell you something, and she told me that my grandfather was not my real grandfather. It is actually his brother, the one who kind of looked out for you and raised you. Everything made sense. I\u2019m not making excuses for abuse, but I\u2019m seeing it a little bit more objectively now, why certain things were said, why certain things were done, why certain things were ignored. So the show is really about silence and how that forms us from a young age.<\/p>\n

The collages shown here are included in the exhibition \u00c9ramos silencios, which translates to \u201cwe were silent,\u201d on view through October 31 at Marianne Ibrahim<\/a>\u2019s Chicago gallery. Explore more of the artist\u2019s work on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cInvitation to the Altar\u201d (2026). Photo by Alum Ga\u0301lvez<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cThe Nightcall\u201d (2025). Photo by Alum Ga\u0301lvez<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cLos Varones\u201d (2026). Photo by Ivo Loyola<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>\u201cFlower Portal 1\u201d (2026). Photo by Ivo Loyola<\/p>\n

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