Javier Quintero
Now Whenever I’m Home, I Can Breathe Easy, 2021
The past year has proven to be especially challenging for everyone but I am no stranger to the difficulties and limitations that get in the way when you least expect it. For instance, in the aftermath of the Great Recession, my family effectively became homeless and struggled for years after but our bonds to one another grew stronger and we overcame the challenges together.
As artists, we embrace our keen sensitivity to the world and often unburden ourselves of those feelings by expressing it through bodies of work. In my free time, I study the work of artists like Rodney McMillian, Constantin Brancusi, Charles Long, and Alberto Giacometti to name a few. Their work inspires me to investigate the possibilities of art in my own practice by combining materials, colors, images and shapes with references to art history, popular culture, nature and my own experiences.
To appreciate where we are, we have to remember where we were and what we’ve gone through. Now Whenever I’m Home, I Can Breathe Easy is a recollection of the misery-causing and life-sapping effects of my family contracting covid-19, with the exception of my brother who somehow evaded the virus but consequently became a prisoner in his own home.
