Sharon Carlos Vázquez (she/her)
is a ChicanX artist from The Valley (San Fernando Valley) with a focus in relief, intaglio, and screen printing. Combining traditional printing methods with her background in digital design, Sharon creates photo based artwork that engages in a dialogue between herself and her pieces. She is the recipient of awards such as the Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award along with the UC Berkeley Art Practice Undergraduate Honors Award. She has showcased her work in group exhibitions, such as Forgiving the Forgotten, the Fall 2022 Honors Student Exhibition, and is part of collections such as the UC Berkeley Graphics Arts Loan Collection. Sharon is a recent graduate from the University of California, Berkeley where she received a B.A. in Art Practice with honors.
Statement
I have been developing a body of work that explores familial relationships, domestic space,
location, the senses, and the abstract nature of memory as it dilutes through time. Guided by my father's words, “...me recuerdan como yo me recuerdo...”(remember me as I remember myself),I approach my process with care and consideration for the bodies my work represents.
I employ the physicality of my process as a method of conversation between me and my work
about the story I’m trying to unfold. I use layering techniques to translate, redact, and
deconstruct dialogues into vivid gestural imagery and vibrant colors. Often, physically
fragmenting these elements into smaller pieces, re-envisioning memories, and blurring the line between concrete, mundane and intangible. By overlaying and obscuring the underlying
information, I aim to explore the notion of 'public privacy'. My approach allows for the images and messages to have a physical space while also challenging comprehension. My additive method, akin to redaction, transforms the original and literal imagery into a distorted representation.
Moving forward, taking inspiration from the architectural structure of my home, the topography, and the land, I aim to explore the corporeality of my craft by integrating sculptural elements and creating literal containers for these images. Specifically thinking of the floor plan, construction style and materials, textures, and colors of my home and experimenting with printing materials, organic and inorganic dyes, and building materials, I’m endeavoring to forge a palpable connection between my creations and the bodies they represent. I consider each project as an extension of the living body(s) that inspire and are references for my work, thinking of how to demand care and consideration, or demand space, from the audience and institutions; capturing and sharing their essence while also preserving and protecting it. These fundamentals serve as a foundation for building and layering imagery and textures with the abstract depiction of my home symbolically becoming a tangible container, embodying both the public and private facets
of my family's narrative.
CV
Education
2021-2023
University of California, Berkeley Bachelor of Arts - Art Practice with honors
2020 - 2021
Los Angeles Pierce College Associate of Arts - Fine and Studio Arts
Additional Associates in Art History + Social and Behavioral Sciences
As of 6/12/23
Awards
Group Exhibitions
2023
Textured Overflow, Spring 2023 Senior Thesis Exhibition, Worth Ryder Art Gallery,University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Art Practice Department Print Sale, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Strain, Fall 2022 Art Practice Department Pop-up, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Forgiving the Forgotten, Fall 2022 Honors Studio Program Exhibition, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Proximity Tradition and Innovation: Relief Printmaking in Korea, K-art Gallery, University of California, Santa Cruz hosted by Kookmin University, Seoul, South Korea
Spring 2022 Art Practice Department Pop-up, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Spring 2022 Art Practice Print Sale, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
PROOF: 28 Years of Printmaking at UC Berkeley, Worth Ryder Art Gallery, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
2023
2022
2022
2022
2022
2022
2022
2022/23 Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award
Spring 2023 Materials Quick-Grant
UC Berkeley Art Practice Undergraduate Honors Program
2023
2023
2022
Collections
UC Berkeley Graphic Arts Loan Collection
2023