Mexico’s Cultures: Pre-Hispanic and Current
by Sofia Aguilar
in the Dean's Office of Health and Human Sciences
Fall 2024
About Mexico’s Cultures: Pre-Hispanic and Current
Culturas de México: Prehispánicas y Actuales is a group of works within the mediums of printmaking and paintings inspired by cultures of prehispanic and current Mexico. It draws from the mythological viewings of the Aztecs to Mixtec artisans' execution of jewelry and from current cultures, taking artifacts and cultural objects by showcasing them in a manner that is representative of the beauty that has come out of the civilizations and today's cities of Mexico. Paintings are enhanced with botanical elements native or representative to Mexico as well as vivid colors that show the warm and lively culture. Prints hold information from the Codex Borgia of the Aztecs' mythological viewings, as well as artifacts from lost native civilizations, such as Paquime - all holding the viewings of their cultures from then and now.
About Sofia Aguilar
I am a second-generation Mexican American born and raised in North Carolina. I’ve learned art through my observations of family members, such as my uncles who have artistic abilities, such as painting natural aspects of the forest with the use of watercolor. With his subject of nature, I began to take an interest in drawing flowers. As I grew up I had many ups and downs with my art, experimenting with color palettes, displaying my composition in an organized manner, and practicing my drawing skills over time. I continued to take art classes throughout my years in school and found joy through them and I continue to do so. Upon entering college I began to realize my interest in my culture and heritage and began incorporating it into my art. Throughout college, I began to improve my art and understood the obstacles my younger self had encountered.
My works show my interest in botanical illustrations and Aztec mythology. I am integrating these influences to create unique designs that draw upon historical contexts from my lineage and culture. Showcasing my heritage, the beauty of Mexico itself, and what it has to offer with its culture. I use it to bring the viewer into a world that can be seen as a glimpse of my backstory and what I grew up on. I execute my context through painting and printmaking, with the help of vivid colors that could be seen within my culture and Aztec mythology. My palette consists of the use of teals, yellows, and oranges for my pieces to benefit from the background of ancient Aztec and Mexican culture.
I look into what can come out using my abilities and views in a manner that can be knowledgeable and peak interest to the viewers from my works. With further research I have done for my pieces, I have realized the distinction between Mexico’s beauty and its development into what it is today. With this beauty, I hope the viewers can witness it in what my heritage shows through my pieces.
About Second Stop
Greensboro Project Space (GPS) is UNCG School of Art’s off-campus multi-purpose art space that acts as a bridge between students and faculty and the Greensboro community. GPS Second Stop is an opportunity for student exhibitions to travel from Greensboro Project Space’s downtown location to the UNCG campus.
The four current Second Stop exhibitions are on view in the Dean’s Office for the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Office of the School of Health & Human Sciences, the Collaborative Workspace for Public Health Education, and the Slane Lobby of the UNCG Auditorium.
Are you a staff or faculty member at UNCG who would like your office or department to participate in Second Stop? Let us know! Email greensboroprojectspace@gmail.com
