Sophia Gayoso-Nordling
RECORDAR RECUERDOS: Living Rooms, Living Stages explores heritage and the reclamation of identity through artistic practice, a practice which blends deeply-rooted traditions with contemporary perspectives. Growing up ethnically mixed in a predominantly white Midwestern community, the domestic spaces of my Cuban-American family served as a connection to my Latin American roots, infused with objects and activities embedded in the lives of the women in my family. Many Cuban-Americans have complicated relationships with national pride, often shaped by memories or stories passed down through generations. This exhibition seeks to transform the gallery into a tactile manifestation of recollection and belonging, creating a living stage for cultural dialogue. The installation features hand-built objects, paintings, and multimedia craft, echoing and reimagining pre-industrial traditions. This past summer, I completed an apprenticeship in Umécuaro, Michoacán, where I explored techniques of naturally harvested ceramics and pigments. Clay, with its spiritual and functional significance across the Caribbean and Mesoamerica, offers me a direct material link to my ancestral roots, embodying the essence of craft and connection to the elements in my practice. Beyond static creation, these objects are informed by my background in stage direction and prop design. Art is understood through lived experience, and the works in this exhibit are conceived of as elements within a larger performative context. They invite viewers to engage with them not merely as objects, but as components of a living narrative of cultural memory and liberation. This exhibition is an assertion of belonging and a celebration of cultural inheritance; a space where personal memory and broader Latin American identity converge.