Pato Muñoz-Vázquez

“Cárgame en tu Espalda” was created through the idea of honoring and adorning our bodies. Having been directly impacted by the effects of displacement, assimilation, immigration, racism, and more informs my immigrant perspective. When my mom, brother, and I crossed the border into Arizona, I was reminded of the immigrants who helped carry me when my 4-year-old legs could not keep up.

Growing up, I remember hearing numerous racial stereotypes about Mexicans – a lot of people seemed to believe that being Mexican makes you hardworking. While I do not disagree that Mexican immigrants are hardworking, I also do not disagree that this country and many others were built on the backs of immigrants.

“Cárgame en tu Espalda” (‘Carry me on your back’ in English) is a homage to the weight immigrants carry for simply existing. This textile was created through the process of breaking down the anatomy of a human spine. The leather piece stitched along the beadwork is 26” long – the average length of a human spine. The beadwork pattern was inspired by my observations of the molecular structure of two main components found in blood: Hemoglobin and Oxygen. I wanted to honor and adorn our spines, which carry so much weight and endure so much hardship. Regardless of race, ethnicity, immigration status, socioeconomic status, or anything else in between, we all bleed the same.

Beadwork has become an intentional act of resistance for me, and the process has been far more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. The magic of this indigenous practice has allowed me to reconnect with parts of me that I thought I had lost, and other parts which I never knew existed. Beadwork is an act of resistance.

Lucero “Pato” Muñoz Vázquez (She/her) (b. 1998) is an indigenous Mexican artist nomadically based in the USA and born in Progreso de Obregon, Hidalgo, Mexico. At the age of 4, she became an undocumented immigrant along with her mother, father, and older brother. They immigrated to the Deep South.

Pato’s work explores the nuances of being a queer DACAmented immigrant, having grown up in Gwinnett County, Georgia (aka the deep south). With her most recent work, after having a pivotal homecoming to her hometown in Mexico, she began exploring beadwork through a fusion of indigenous and contemporary practices. Through different techniques her work represents resistance towards the violent lingering effects of colonialism. She challenges the conventional notions of assimilation by disrupting the norm she was taught to follow out of fear of being undocumented, immigrant, and brown. Pato has explored the creation process through acrylic painting, mosaic making, muralism/street art, beading, digital illustration, and mixed media work. She enjoys exploring themes centered around mental health, the human form, and cultural fusion. She values art as a means to connect with people and build community while encouraging safe spaces of open dialogues through artistic experience.